Volunteers deliver food parcels to N.O.A.H. caregivers in KwaZulu Natal.

N.O.A.H., Habitat Join Forces

As disturbing as the AIDS epidemic in South Africa is now, it will get worse. According to Nurturing Orphans of Africa for Humanity (N.O.A.H.), more than 3 million healthy children between 18 months and 4 years old could be orphaned by AIDS in the next five years.

Habitat for Humanity South Africa has joined with N.O.A.H. in the KwaXimba region of KwaZulu Natal to build 60 houses for orphans and vulnerable children. Through a process of visiting all the families, interviewing their current guardians and assessing the needs of the children, a list of 60 families was drawn which identified the number of youths in each home, together with other family members. The children's ages and identification documents were checked together with the death certificates of the parents, where available. In most cases, children had no official identification documents and so were unable to claim the social grants available to them.

Most importantly to Habitat, the quality of the children's current home was assessed, both in terms of the number of people living in the home and its state of repair. Every home that was visited had either collapsed and the children were being housed temporarily with other family members, or the house was in a state of partial collapse and needed urgent repair.

While this project will focus primarily on alleviating the impact on children orphaned by AIDS in terms of their basic needs, staff members believe that, by providing secure homes in an empowered and educated community, they can also help reduce the risk-taking behavior that can result in HIV infection.

Seth Kujat, center, spent a lot of time on the road and in the air--atop Habitat houses--in the past year.

Shingle All the Way

Sometimes a leap of faith ends up covering miles and miles of asphalt. Seth Kujat, a 23-year-old roofer, decided to spend his first year after college putting roofs on 50 Habitat houses--one in each state. He started in New England, and then, he says, "I just kept making lefts. I tried to stay a month ahead of schedule. Before I left, I had 10 starts in New England scheduled and ready to go. As I would finish a couple of houses, I'd start making phone calls to the next couple of states." Kujat and his 1996 Windstar minivan made the rounds of Habitat affiliates for 52 weeks, ending up in Alaska in May. Through rain and sunshine, Kujat says his favorite experiences have been getting to know small towns and the folks who live in them. Plus, the challenges of being on the road, keeping himself company through long miles and coordinating travel logistics taught him the sustaining nature of faith.

"I've learned a lot about my faith, that your faith is enough to get you through any situation," he says. "Even if you don't have all the pieces, your faith will get you to the end of the puzzle."

Habitat Adds Atlanta Office

In early August, Habitat for Humanity International will open a new administrative headquarters in Atlanta. "While our operational headquarters will remain in Americus, Ga., where Habitat for Humanity was founded and has flourished, we are thrilled to announce the establishment of administrative headquarters in downtown Atlanta, a world-class city with world-class services essential to a growing, global organization," says Habitat Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Reckford.

The administrative headquarters will be located at 270 Peachtree St., in an area of the city that several international nonprofits already call home. The leased space was selected with training and meeting purposes in mind to help facilitate Habitat's access to its partners--and its partners' access to Habitat. Reckford describes the offices as offering "more immediate access to transportation, specialized skills and services. This plan is one that allows us to honor our past and our ongoing dedication to South Georgia, while positioning us for an even stronger future as a more collaborative organization."

Designated funds have been raised to fully offset the cost of the move, Reckford adds. Habitat officials worked with city and state government, donors and the Atlanta property's owner, who offered concessions as the deal was formulated, to ensure that the introduction of these new offices does not come at the expense of--but rather furthers --Habitat's dedication to the cause of eliminating poverty housing around the world.

"Having operational headquarters in Americus and administrative headquarters in Atlanta," Reckford says, "is a long-term approach for achieving the dramatic growth envisioned in Habitat's strategic plan."

Home Away from Home

Charlotte County (Fla.) Habitat for Humanity celebrated the completion of a new Community Volunteer Center in February with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and grand opening. The 6,000-square-foot building can accommodate up to 48 volunteers with eight bedrooms, four bathrooms, two dining rooms and a full commercial kitchen.

The center emerged from the aftermath of Hurricane Charley, which destroyed some 8,000 houses in Charlotte County, and it is designed to serve the needs of Habitat for Humanity and other groups responding to community building efforts.

"We need a huge influx of volunteers not only to address current needs, but also to increase capacity," affiliate executive director Ron Thomas says. "Many of our local volunteers are no longer able to volunteer because they're working on their own houses, and they're exhausted."

Collegiate Challenge teams have already made good use of the center, and the affiliate plans to host its first Global Village team this summer. Florida Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings helped open the center at the ribbon cutting, and the grand opening a week later featured food, family activities and a visit from the Thrivent Builds Mobile.

Building Momentum

Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity, an alliance between Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and Habitat for Humanity, will erect 312 houses in the United States this year, as we report in more depth on page 16, but the alliance extends beyond this effort.  Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity includes three additional programs:

• Thrivent Builds Worldwide is a program that mirrors Habitat Global Village trips.  Thrivent Financial for Lutherans provides $800 to its benefit members to offset trip expenses and donates $6,500 to the Habitat host affiliate for a future homebuilding project in that community. In 2006, approximately 50 trips are being planned.
  
  
• Thrivent Builds Neighborhoods, which is still under development, seeks to work with neighborhood coalitions to fund holistic community development in struggling neighborhoods across the United States.
  
  
• Thrivent Builds Giving supplements Thrivent members' donations to Habitat for Humanity International.

There is no such thing as a bad time to give, but, given Thrivent Builds Giving, this is a particularly good time for the three million Thrivent Financial members to donate to Habitat. Thrivent is prepared to match a portion of each qualifying member's donation, up to $300, and has earmarked $1 million for the program in the first year. Please use the envelope enclosed in this magazine and check the box indicating your Thrivent membership.