Tag: Habitat

Habitat for Humanity welcomed 136 international volunteers to several locations in the Asia-Pacific region, where they worked alongside community members and local families building their own decent, affordable houses. They are the first volunteers from the AP region that the housing nonprofit has hosted since it suspended its Global Village volunteer program in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We are thrilled to welcome seven volunteer teams from Japan and Korea to various locations in Cambodia, Indonesia and Vietnam where they will help build or repair houses or work on communal facilities alongside future Habitat for Humanity homeowners. We ... Read more

Habitat for Humanity’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter announced today a US$300,000 equity investment in TapEffect, a Cambodia-based startup which provides clean and affordable tap water to underserved rural and semi-rural communities. The investment also marks the fifth anniversary of Habitat’s Shelter Venture Fund, launched in 2017 to accelerate innovative startups tackling affordable housing challenges worldwide.It is estimated that 110 million people in Southeast Asia lack access to safe drinking water. In Cambodia, one third of the population rely on water from impure sources. TapEffect, founded in 2018, started from the desire to bring safe water to rural communities ... Read more

Supporters across the Asia-Pacific region started volunteering over the weekend on Habitat for Humanity sites in their home countries to mark the culmination of its 2022 Young Leaders Build campaign. This marks the first time the housing nonprofit hosted in-person youth volunteers in its build sites since the coronavirus pandemic began.“Over the last two years, the youth responded creatively as the health and economic fallouts due to the global pandemic took a toll on everyone. Working virtually with Habitat for Humanity, they helped vulnerable families and communities to stay safe in decent shelter. We are excited to welcome young volunteers ... Read more

As the 3D printed construction market grows, startups and nonprofits alike are beginning to leverage advances in concrete 3D printing technology to address the affordable housing crisis. Recently, Habitat for Humanity International through its Shelter Venture Fund invested $411,000 in Tvasta Manufacturing Solutions Ltd. to increase production of affordable 3D printed homes in India. Hestia Partners and Capnetic Investments joined Habitat in investing in the construction technology startup. Habitat’s investment in Tvasta builds on a multi-year collaboration, beginning when the company was one of seven startups to participate in Habitat’s ShelterTech India accelerator program in 2018. ShelterTech accelerators bridge the ... Read more

The construction industry — led by homebuilding — is a large, often-overlooked source of jobs in emerging market economies, according to a report (https://www.habitat.org/sites/default/files/documents/A-Ladder-Up_Report.pdf) released today by Habitat for Humanity to mark World Habitat Day. Every $1 million in construction output creates an average of 97 jobs in emerging markets, economists at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, and the University of Washington found in the report commissioned by Habitat for Humanity’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter. That compares to 81 jobs created per $1 million in agricultural output and 96 jobs per $1 million in ... Read more