Habitat for Humanity unites with the United Nations to celebrate World Habitat Day, with the objective to remember that decent, resilient and safe home is a fundamental right of which more than 1.800 million people in the world can not enjoy.
Hábitat works to reduce the housing deficit of 17 countries through its programs.
According to the Interamerican World Bank the cualitative housing deficit affects around half of the homes in Latin America and the Caribbean; which translates to millions of homes built with bad quality materials, without access to potable water, without sanitation, showers located in land that do not belong to the families and with dirt floors.
“At Habitat we have the responsibility to continue building projects and programs that add up to the Sustainable Development Goals and help government reduce the housing deficit. We would like for low income families to be able to draw near of having a safe place called home, when they are able to have a better future, quality of life and health,” said Ernesto de Castro, Area Vicepresident for Habitat for Humanity for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Hábitat has presence in 70 countries in the world of which 17 are in Latin America and the Caribbean. Among the innovative projects in the region is the initiative 100,000 Floors to Play On of which it is developed together with the Interamerican Federation of Cement (FICEM).
Almost half of the homes in Latin America and the Caribbean are built with low quality materials, they do not have access to potable water and have land tenure issues
This forms part of the program Pisos s3 of FICEM which has the objective of replacing 100 thousand floors for concrete housing in vulnerable homes in all Latin America and the Caribbean in the year 2028. It was launched at the end of April in 2022 and it is targeted for families living in poverty conditions that live in house with dirt floors with materials predominantly made of dirt and in bad state; with the main focus, focusing mainly in homes with women head of household, with children with less than 6 years of age, elderly and/or with people with some disability.
Sickness. The dirt floors house parasites, bacterias and insects that cause diarrhea, respiratory sickness, anemia and among others. Changing dirt floors for concrete generates benefits for the health. This is confirmed by a study made by the World Bank and the University of California which analyzed the impact in health of a program that substituted dirt floors in Mexico.
In the children it was registered a reduction of 70% on parasite infections, 49% in diarrhea and 81% in anemia, besides increasing from a 36% in cognitive development. In another note, in adults it was evidenced an increase of 59% of satisfaction of housing, less depresión in a 52% and less stress in 45%. At a National level, Hábitat Dominican Republic has 36 years of presence in the country, in which it has achieved to build and improve housing of more than 196,455 people and delivered 39,289 housing solution.
We empower with housing .
