Notes from the Field

'According to the 1998 census in Malawi, more than 80 percent of the population lives in rural areas. Consequently, this is where most of the Habitat houses in Malawi are built. The land in these rural areas is called 'customary land,' meaning that the local authorities, chiefs or village 'headmen' are the ones who make the decisions about who can own the land. Therefore, when someone applies for a home, Habitat requires the applicant to get official confirmation from the local chief that this land belongs to that particular family, village or clan, and that a Habitat structure can be built on it.

"In urban areas, the local government or district assembly may provide plots of land for building to HFH Malawi. ...The most positive aspect of building on this kind of land is that the allocation of the plots will not change over time, because the district assembly who made the allocation has the authority over it, and will protect it from that happening."

--Anke van der Meer, international partner, HFH Malawi, Blantyre, Malawi


Reprinted from Habitat World Magazine, August/September 2000.
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©2000 Habitat for Humanity International