In New Mexico, a mother frets over paint that’s chipping from her window-sills--because she keeps fi nding the lead-based chips in her toddler’s little hands.With labored breath, a little boy in West Virginia battles asthma that has resulted in part from the poor conditions in which he is living: the mold and mildew, the cockroaches and dust mites, the rodent allergens.Beyond a crowded market in Manila, children compete with dogs for refuse while families make their homes and livelihoods in the shadows of garbage heaps.Around the world, houses lean like makeshift scaffolding across rural plains and in dense, noisy, polluted urban quarters.

Habitat for Humanity’s mission is to eliminate these conditions--from the busiest city to the most remote village. Its partnership housing approach is proven, its commitment resolute. However, it cannot do it alone and relies on contributions from millions of people throughout the world. Each Habitat partner can and does make a difference. And whether those contributions ar-rive in the form of volunteer labor or fi nancial donations, each helps build a house with a family who needs it.Millions of families all over the world count on Habitat’s work--and on its partners’ involvement. They struggle daily to overcome the hardships of substandard housing. They seek warmth in the cold, relief from the stifl ing heat and a better life in every climate. Mean-while, their health declines, their anguish deepens and their hope fades to a glimmer--yet not all is completely lost. Through partnerships with Habitat for Humanity, families, once stooped under the heavy burden of poverty hous-ing, have unleashed new potential after moving into a decent, affordable home. The roof is solid, the fl oors sound. Inside, bugs and bad weather no longer slip through cracks in the walls, and new stability resides there instead.For almost three decades, Habitat has been helping families overcome such desperate conditions. As the need for housing remains dire, Habitat will only redouble its efforts to narrow the gap between those who have a decent place to live and those who don’t. “With so many families living in substandard housing, we have to act swiftly and thoroughly,” says Millard Fuller, Habitat’s founder and president. “We’ve come a long way, but the road ahead is long

still. Yet as more people become involved and share in our concern for those enduring such horrible situations, as they volunteer and donate money and help advocate for low-income fami-lies, we can reach the end of the road and help chart a new direction. For those fraught with pov-erty and the worry that comes with it.”Habitat for Humanity is committed to eliminating burdens many families shoulder by building solid, afford-able houses in partnership with those families. To date, the organization has provided shelter to more than 175,000 families, housing nearly 900,000 people.

This work requires volunteers, to be sure. It takes materials: boxes of nails and bags of cement; it takes lumber, paint, rebar, shingles, windows, doors and so much else. And it takes money.“One should never undervalue the contributions of volunteer labor, of hammering a nail or serving .on an affi liate committee; making sandwiches for on-site lunches or monitoring the fi rst-aid tent when temperatures soar above 90,” says Fuller. “None of that would be possible, however, without fi nancial contributions to pave the way for more and more .building. In his essay Con-siderations by the Way, Ralph Waldo Emerson said to ‘make yourself necessary to somebody.’ Well, each time someone gives of his or her time or writes a check or offers support. .in any other way, they are making themselves necessary to a family confi ned by poverty housing.”

These families’ needs are daunting. The United Nations estimates that 1.3 billion people in urban areas lack adequate shelter. In rural areas, the problem is even worse as 2.6 billion people en-dure inadequate housing, including shelter that forces families to pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing.While families in rural areas may not experience.

A World in Need of Housing, Hope and Help

Left:Meca and Luisa look at the damagaed caused by Hur-ricane Ivan.Photo by Terry Nichols

By Melissa LaWanna

Community Calendar

Going Beyond U.S. BordersTranslating Habitat’s Mission for a World in Need

As if the plane ride hadn’t been enough of a clue, all the volunteers from Northern Ireland had to do to remember they were in a very different place was listen.

Mortar? Try dhaga.

Good morning? Emolweni.

Party? Instead of the Gaelic ceilidh, it was imbizo.

These 18 volunteer builders visited South Africa and experienced fi rst hand one of the challenges of Habitat for Humanity affi liates separated by distance, climate and culture: What works for one location may not make sense in another.Yet, despite differences, Habitat affi liates manage to

maintain a uniform spirit by focusing on common principles instead of divergent methodologies and procedures. Outside the United States, affi liate operations tend to center around three essential tasks, aside from construction, according to HFHI program support director Karan Kennedy: collect-ing house payments, raising funds and selecting families.

Since a high repayment rate is one of the most visible indications that an affi liate is doing well, af-fi liates often struggle to resist the urge to seek out middle-income homeowners who are more likely to have the resources to make timely payments. To work with truly low-income homeowners, affi liates run the risk of selecting a family that may not be able to make payments in the face of illness or job loss.At Habitat for Humanity Los Tuxtlas in Mexico, each community manages a revolving loan fund made of members’ contributions and proceeds from community fund-raising activities. Members may use the fund to take out a temporary loan to cover their Habitat house payments in hard times.

“People are smart,” Kennedy says. “They under-stand that if they pay, someone else will get a house. The issue is why should they do it. The fact that people pay when they have so little means that they care for their neighbor. This process of mutual help and respect can be truly transformational for com-munities.”

“Fund raising, even in very poor countries, can be accomplished with a little creativity. On the local level, affi liates generate cash through bake sales

and auctions, while in-kind donations supply materials. At a national level, corporate partner-ships, such as the partnership between Marriott and Habitat affi liates in the Latin America/Carib-bean area, boost income as well as raise aware-ness of the organization. Marriott partnerships in Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Guatemala have raised thousands of dol-lars while involving Marriott employees on the build site.Global Village trips are an increasingly popular way for affi liates to raise funds, elevate public awareness of their activities and boost their construction capacity.

Rosa Zakaria (left) and Yasin Juma, local committee members at Habitat for Humanity Igunga in Tanzania, discuss new training ma-terials that will support them in their efforts to reach more families in need.

In Bulgaria, HFH Sofi a executive director Atanas Petrov helps Stefan Enchev, 8, with his homework. Stefan’s parents have been approved for a Habitat house.

Habitat Founder Speaks Around the WorldHabitat for Humanity’s founder and president, Millard Fuller, travels widely around the world sharing Habitat’s message. Dates are subject to change. Please call ahead to confi rm.

Dec. 6-7 Geauga County HFH in Ohio. Call Arthur Krauer at (404) 564-5848 for more information.

Jan. 8-10 Southeast Regional Conference in Jekyll Island, Ga. Call (800) 637-9532 for more information.

Jan. 16-23 Building on the Dream. Locations around the United States. Call Victoria Peag-ler at (800) 422-4828, Ext. 2639, for more information.

Tomorrow’s Humanity Leader Recipient

Before becoming Habitat homeowners last year, the Skoneczny family lived the grim housing reality of many families in post-communist countries. The family of four lived in one tiny room within a 645-square-foot block fl at that housed six other people as well. Over-crowding is a common problem in Eastern European nations, as single-room fl ats often house multiple fami-lies. Under such circumstances, having the space to study was out of the question for Dominika, 10. Today, she not only has her own desk and space to study at home, but her bright, new primary school is just down the street from a tidy neighborhood of Habitat houses.

Make a World of Difference: Find out how you can get involved with Habitat for Humanity.

No matter your age, gender, creed, race or nationality, there is a place for you within Habitat. Please take a moment to review the opportunities below, let us know what interests you, and we will mail you relevant infor-mation. Or, call (800) HABITAT (422-4828) or visit www.

habitat.org

Women BuildWomen crews build houses to help move families and children out of poverty.· www.habitat.org/wb/· womenbuild@hfhi.org· (800) HABITAT, ext. 270

House building means team buildingCorporate Partners: Chal-lenge your colleagues to a Habitat house build.· www.habitat.org/cp/· corppgms@hfhi.org· (800) HABITAT, ext. 2126

Habitat for Humanity Publication NewsletterDec/Jan. 2005

By Ramaula Dickson HumanityTodayHabitat for Humanity PublicationVolume 1 Issue 3

Community Donates Supplies

JC work Project Report 2004

Women’s Mission

Habitat for Humanity

Celebration

Habitat for Humanity International, based in Americus, Ga., is an ecumenical Christian ministry dedicated to eliminating poverty housing. By the end of 2005, Habitat will have built its 200,000th house and more than one million people will be living in Habitat homes they helped build and are buying through no-profi t, zero-interest mortgages. www.habitat.orgComs out and help cel-ebrate January 10,2005

2

Habitat for Humanity Publication NewsletterDec/Jan. 2005

Dec/Jan. 2005

Volime Issue 3

Habitat goes to Antartica

Meeting Cultural Needs

Call for Volunteers

Humanity Recipient

Community Leaders

Making a Difference

Humanity Award

3

4

Below:The children of Tuatlao look on as clean is begun.Photo by Terry Nichols

Jan. 21-25 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Call 41-22-869-1288 for more information.

Feb. 17 Family Forum Series panel discussion at Emory University’s Center for Inter-disciplinary Study of Religion. Call April Bogle at (404) 712-8713 for more

information.

4

In the coming months, two international leaders will extend helping hands--and experi-enced hammers--to build houses with families in need. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn will build in Puebla and Veracruz, Mexico, Oct. 24-29, 2004.With them, thousands of volunteers will build 150 houses with local families during the 21st Jimmy Carter Work Project.

In South Africa, founding president of Zambia Dr. Kenneth Kaunda will help build 25 houses in Mamelodi, Pretoria, Nov. 22-26, 2004.The Kenneth Kaunda Work Project also will mark the beginning of a “Homes and Hope” cam-paign to build 1,000 additional houses in South Africa in anticipation of Habitat for Humanity International’s 30th anniversary in 2006.Visit www.habitat.org/jcwp/2004 for more information about the JCWP.

World Leaders Hammer Out Hope and Opportunity

Editorial TeamMilana McLeadEditor-in-Chief

Melissa FrazierSenior Editor

Terry NicholsPhotographer

James SeymourContributing Photographer

Stehanie OrtizWriter

Contributing WritersSamuel JonesLacie WithersMicheal McDanielsRamaula Dickson

You can help by supporting Habitat’s work inside your community... and out. In the December/January 2005 edition of Samaritan Review, we indicated that vol-unteers can contribute substantially by serving on one of several affi liate commit-tees. Those contributions are both needed and much appreciated. People power behind the scenes and at construction sites is important, but equally important as volunteer support is fi nancial support to intensify Habitat’s work. Habitat for Hu-manity relies on cash donations to purchase such necessary components as land and building materials and to cover administrative costs necessary to continue the actual construction work. Habitat relies on a wide variety of funding sources, from the individual donor to the largest corporation--and places a premium on each and every gift. This issue of Habitat World explores some of those sources, pro-viding insight not only into where the money comes from, but into where it goes as well. Before tools clang on a construction site, there’s much else that needs to happen fi rst, not the least of which is dollars raised and allocated for ultimately the same outcome: more housing built with more families around the world.

Editor’s Note

Jimmy Carter Work Project 2004Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn will extend helping hands--and experi-enced hammers--to build houses with families in need Oct. 24-29, 2004, in Puebla and Vera Cruz, Mexico. Thousands of volunteers from around the world will gather for the Jimmy Carter Work Project to build 150 houses with local families.

Mexico’s need for affordable, decent housing is tremendous: About 40 percent of Mexico’s popu-lation lives in poverty, and one in three adults lives in poverty housing. Since 1987, when Habi-tat began working in Mexico, 19 Habitat affi liates have built more than 13,000 houses at a cost of about US$6,500 each. As families build, buy and move into their block houses--for which they pay between US$70 and US$80 per month--they leave behind some of the burdens and hardships of substandard living conditions. To lend your support, please use the envelope inside or donate securely online at www.habitat.org/donation. You may designate your gift to this year’s JCWP.

To sign up for e-mail news and announcements, or for informa-tion on the build locations, visit www.habitat.org/jcwp/2004.

We never know where Habitat World might turn up next, but we have certainly enjoyed fi nding out in the photographs readers share with us. Pictured here is volunteer and Habitat World reader Carmen Lemon, who is spending her sixth winter in Antarctica. Lemon supports scientists con-ducting research as part of the U.S. Antarctic Program. In the background is the Royal So-ciety Range of the Transantarctica Mountains. Lemon has participated in Habitat for Hu-manity Global Village trips to Honduras and Fiji and plans to join another one to Africa later this year. She says that when she read of Habitat’s work in a travel book, it struck her as the perfect opportunity to contribute to a family’s sense of stability. “It’s bee“It has helped me realize that material possessions don’t really mean that much, but it’s the more lasting, [intangible] things that have the most.

Habitat Goes to Antarctica

Each year, corporations and foundations through-out the world contribute millions of dollars in cash and products to Habitat for Humanity In-ternational and its affi liates. These donors play a key role in Habitat’s ability to build more houses, but for both they and Habitat itself the rewards go far beyond a dollar fi gure. “Our partnership with Habitat gives us the opportunity to connect with volunteers and homeowners and to establish some great relationships,” says Chris Ahearn, pub-lic relations director for Lowe’s Home Improve-ment Warehouse. “The home is the centerpiece of the American family, and by helping families move into better housing, we’re contributing to something that’s so much bigger than any of us individually.” Recently, Lowe’s committed $2 million to underwrite Habitat’s Women Build program. 2004 and to support Habitat’s work in other areas as well. The Andersen Corp. is another donor that has stepped up to contribute on several levels.

To mark its 100th anniversary, Andersen and its related foundations committed to a fi ve-year partnership to build 100 houses across the United

A Marriage of Money and Mission

With a quiet urgency, Hany Kamal, fi eld coordina-tor with Habitat for Humanity Egypt, tells of an Egyptian family who welcomed him during his visit to their community of need. The family of seven lived crowded into a single 5’ x 6’ room. It had a dirt fl oor, lacked a roof, and refl ected the desper-ate health conditions that result from having to house farm animals in the same room as blankets, cookware ... and people.“These conditions are inhuman,” Kamal says. “People should not have to live like this.”

Egypt is one of the most infl uential countries in the Middle East. With a civilization dating back thou-sands of years, it is home to wonders of the ancient world: the Pyramids and Sphinx. But of even great-er value than its golden history are its nearly 70 mil-lion people, renowned for their warmth of hospital-ity and their endurance through hardship. It is the dignity of these people that is the foundation on which Habitat for Humanity builds in Egypt.

The challenges many Egyptian families face are sub-stantial. Yousry Makar, national director for HFH Egypt, visited an 8’ x 9’ home where 10 people lived, fi ve upstairs and fi ve down. Overcrowded? Sure. But even more critical for the fi ve people living below was the rising watertable that turned their dirt fl oor into standing muddy water.

Whether the venue is rural or urban Egypt, poverty is the antagonist of these heroic families. In vil-lages, they live in crumbling block huts, scarcely more solid than the sand on which they’re built. In cities like Cairo, “home” is crowded, noisy squatter settlements with jackhammers and exhaust fumes and the smell of hot asphalt. Worse, it’s where people live in “garbage recycling communities,” where one’s trash becomes another’s meager trea-sure.With some 30 percent of the country living in desperate conditions, the need in this largest Arab country is staggering--not only the scope of it.severity as well. And that is what motivates Habitat for Humanity’s work there.

For 15 years, Habitat has worked with families up and down the Nile River, building today in 14

communities. Habitat has built 4,000 houses so far and attributes its success to the compassion within the people of Egypt and, in part, to an effective partnership with a community develop-ment organization called CEOSS (Coptic Evan-gelical Organization for Social Service).

In a land where relationships are as vital as the desert is wide, the HFH/CEOSS partnership has been fruitful, allowing Habitat to build on the trust already established by the 50-year-old CEOSS, which improves the quality of life in poor communities by mobilizing local leader-ship, improving health, strengthening schools and micro-enterprise--and, with Habitat, build-ing houses.

Until Nov. 15, 2003, when Habitat for Humanity became offi cially registered with Egypt’s Minis-try of Social Affairs, Habitat operated in partner-ship under CEOSS’ legal umbrella, says David Haskell, Habitat for Humanity’s director for the Middle East and East Africa region. But that wasn’t the relationship’s only advantage.

“Not only have we built on CEOSS’ 50-plus year history of development, relationships and good-will,” he says, “but we’ve been able to collabo-rate with its strong network of experienced local volunteer committees who have already succeed-ed in community development initiatives..

Partnerships Mean Progress for Habitat’s Work in Egypt

Meeting Cultural Needs

After two decades of involvement with Habitat for Humanity, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter will extend his commitment to low-cost housing by leading the annual Jimmy Carter Work Project Oct. 24-29 in Mexico. The event will take place in Puebla and Veracruz, Mexico, as some 4,000 volunteers from around the world build 150 houses in partnership with local fami-lies in need.

Since 1987, when Habitat began working in Mexico, 19 Habitat affi liates have built more than 13,000 houses at a cost of about US$6,500 each. Still, the need is tremendous.

Mexico has a population of 100 million. About 40 percent of the people live in poverty, and children often fi nd themselves working on the street to supplement what meager incomes their parents earn. Fortunately, families throughout the country are fi nding hope and opportunity through their partnerships with Habitat for Humanity. As they build, buy and move into their block houses--for which they pay between US$70 and US$80 per month--they leave behind some of the burdens and hardships of deplorable living conditions. Volunteers are needed for this year’s event, so there’s a space for you--and an opportu-nity to make a difference. To reserve your spot or for more information about this year’s project..

JCWP 2004: Call for Volunteers

By Micheal Walsh

By Micheal McDaniel

Habitat for Humanity Publication NewsletterDec/Jan. 2005

Habitat for Humanity Publication Newsletter Dec/Jan. 2005

2 3

By Samantah Briuns

Habitat Today editor Milana McLead led a team of women to New Zealand in September for two weeks of building.A Place for Every-

Living in a fl ood-prone area in El Salvador, Elsa Hernandez Robles’ family had gotten used to rais-ing their hammocks above the occasional one-foot-deep fl oodwaters of the nearby river. But when Hurricane Mitch struck the region in October 1998 and proved to be the deadliest storm in the Western Hemisphere since 1780, they knew at once that this was different. Pregnant and terri-fi ed, Elsa grabbed her parents and her children and all began an uphill race for their lives just as the fl oodwaters of Mitch washed their house away.They survived the ordeal, but in several Central American countries that month more than 9,000 people died, nearly a half-million people became homeless and millions more were displaced The devastation created housing needs that Habitat for Humanity could not ignore. “We cannot and must not be oblivious to the suffering of those people [whose lives have been negatively impacted by a disaster], and there are various ways we can respond,” says Millard Fuller, HFHI founder and president. “Though Habitat is not a relief organi-zation, we come behind the relief people and do the permanent rebuilding.”

When Disaster Strikes, Habitat Strikes Back

By Micheal McDaniel

If you think your life won’t be touched someday by “the poor”... think again. In fact, four in 10 Americans know someone living in poverty, and nearly half of all American adults are concerned that they will be poor at some point in their lives. Clearly, poverty is no respecter of persons. There may not be even “six degrees of separation” between any one of us and grinding poverty. Per-sonally, I’ve skated closer to poverty than I’d like when sudden unemployment came my way. Were it not for a good education and family support, I may have tumbled into the grip of poverty’s cycle and not broken out.

So what is the difference between “us” and “them”? Not much. Certainly, good fortune and God’s grace play a role. But at the end of the day, we’re all part of the same global family, facing similar life challenges. “Poor people care about many of the same things all of us care about: happiness, family, children, livelihood, peace, security, safety, dignity and respect,” states the foreword to Voices of the Poor (see page 18 for related story).

Every time I interview Habitat homeowners, I fi nd their cares, concerns and aspirations to be the same no matter their address, be it in Burlingt on, Vt., USA; Dunavarsány, Hungary; or Maragondon, the Philippines. Like almost anyone else, they hope for a better life, take joy

On a Mission with Ramaula

Community News

States. “The partnership with Habitat is a great marriage,” Andersen president and CEO Jim Humphrey says. “Habitat, of course, is about families ... about building with future. homeown-ers, and as a family company we can easily relate to the importance of strong family ties.” Various

foundations also fi nancially support Habitat’s work. The Lilly Endowment, for example, has provided $500,000 to help Habitat affi liates fur-ther their work through enhanced fund raising. Over a three-year period, affi liate staff across the United States will be trained in such areas .

in their children, value education, work hard for a living and have faith in tomorrow. That faith-though perhaps different from yours or mine-sustains them through the tough times and gives them grace in the good times. “I am amazed at how people can still hold on to hopeand not give up, at the deep caring and longing of parents for their children. and at the resil-ience in the human spirit despite the odds,” says Voices of the Poor author Deepa Narayan. The work of Habitat for Humanity builds on that spirit and faith, both literally and fi guratively. During the third week of September, affi liates worldwide will celebrate “Building on Faith” week-a tangible expression of the aptly named event. And every day, Habitat brings hope to the many in our global family who are in need of decent, affordable housing.

Around the World

Individual partners are the backbone of Habitat for Humanity International’s support base, contribut-ing time, talents and dollars to make Habitat’s work possible. Apart from volunteer labor, each year those individuals provide millions of dollars to build thousands of houses worldwide. Yet when the focus shifts from the donation to the donors, it becomes apparent that this broad, worldwide impact grows from the humble seeds of personal convictions, improving lives and building hope.

Evelyn Locklin supports her local affi liate, Colum-bus (Ohio) Area Habitat for Humanity, and serves on the church relations committee. She and her husband have a method for selecting organizations to support, she says. “We have a couple of criteria: Does it help children? Does it last? Does it give us a certain satisfaction of being involved in it?” she says. And fi nally, “A fourth criterion is a link.” This link, or personal connection with the cause, often is what draws donors to support Habitat’s work. Whether they know a friend or family member who is building a Habitat house or have experienced

tough times themselves, having a face to put on the mission is a powerful motivation. Locklin initially became involved through a friend who was participating in a fund-raiser and asked for her help, and later relationships with hom-eowner families sustained the feeling of “con-nection.” Even when we have problems and it’s frustrating, in spite of that, what you cling to is the fact that this is a proven program.it works....Even those of us who are not speakers have an easy ‘sell.’Volunteers with talents ranging from carpentry skills to food preparation played a role in the successful completion of 25 houses at the 2003 Jimmy Carter Work Project site in Valdosta, Ga.

Individual Donors Find Strength in NumbersBy Lacie Withers

By Samantah Briuns