The Need

Nestled in the Himalayans between China and India, Nepal is one of the worlds most economically disadvantaged countries. Lack of access to income-generating employment puts the health and welfare of larger numbers of people at risk. Government data estimates that 430,000 families occupy inadequate shelter.

These people are HFHI-Nepal's constituency,
Micro-financing is the tool,
Community partnering is the means.

The district where this team will be building is Ilam. It is the far eastern district of Nepal, where Habitat for Humanity International-Nepal is serving families in need by building and renovating houses through its partner, Juntara Social Development Centre. In the working communities, there is a majority of ethnic, indigenous and marginalized groups. Main occupations are agriculture, mason, carpenter and daily wage earner working in tea estates by which they earn an average of Rs 150-200 (US$2-3) per day. Their housing conditions are very poor. The present houses are made up of a mud floor and mud and stick walls with a thatched roof. Normally, these houses are a single room with no separation for the kitchen, the roof leaks in the rains, and there is no proper ventilation. Houses are unsecure and unhealthy. Some families even keep their cattle with them in the same room.

These target groups have neither the capacity to build a complete house at once nor can they borrow the loan from financial institutions. To address such challenges, HFHI-Nepal and Juntara Social Development Centre are working together with the women's savings groups (under the "Save and Build" program) to assist families to have a decent, affordable, healthy shelter.