Race Against Homelessness 2024

Help us transform the lives of other families one concrete floor at a time.

Habitat Guatemala joins Race Against Homelessness #RAH2024 to promote its region-wide campaign 100,000 Floors to Play On.

Through #RAH2024, we seek to encourage the global community of sports-minded, wellness-minded people to support the campaign and transform the lives of Guatemalan families with concrete floors.

What is 100,000 floors to play with?

100,000 Floors to Play On is a Habitat for Humanity and FICEM project that aims to transform the lives of 100,000 families throughout Latin America and the Caribbean by replacing 100,000 dirt floors with concrete floors by 2028.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, about 40% of the total population is affected by the housing deficit and of this percentage, 6% of households have a dirt floor as the predominant flooring material.

In Guatemala alone, there are more than 843,958 homes with predominantly dirt floors, seriously affecting the health and well-being of families, especially children, who are the most vulnerable population as they are in direct contact with the soil while crawling, walking or playing on the surface.

What is the impact of a concrete floor? ·

  • 70% reduction in parasitic infections · 49% reduction in diarrheas
  • 81% reduction in anemia cases
  • Increased cognitive development from 36% to 96%.

Who is the initiative aimed at?

The 100,000 Floors to Play On campaign is aimed primarily at supporting households headed by mothers, with children under 6 years of age, older adults and/or people with disabilities.

What will Habitat for Humanity Guatemala (HPHG) contribute?

From 2023 to 2025, Habitat for Humanity Guatemala will designate its own funds to support the construction of concrete floors nationwide; in 2023, approximately Q3 million was designated to help 2,500 families. During the three years of the initiative, around Q10 million will be provided.

Join #RHA2024 in this exciting virtual event and seek to make a difference in communities in Guatemala that need our help to have a decent house to call home! Your generosity can transform the lives of many children by providing them with a hygienic, safe and durable concrete floor.

Every donation counts and with each one we are one step closer to creating a more hopeful and dignified future for the families we support.

Donate now and be part of the change

Constructive Brigade C&W Guatemala

Volunteer groups are a tool for citizen participation, individuals, company collaborators, students and organized groups, we are all agents of change in our country.

On this occasion we joined forces with C&W Guatemala, last November 17 we carried out a constructive brigade in which we built 2 concrete floors and delivered 2 water purifying filters to two families in San Miguel Petapa, Guatemala.

We thank the C&W Guatemala volunteers for joining our volunteer program, with their help they contribute to help more Guatemalan families improve their quality of life.

Volunteering is an opportunity for more people, companies, educational centers and organized groups to get involved and directly impact the quality of life of many Guatemalan families, we just need hearts and hands willing to serve.

Habitat for Humanity mourns the death of former first lady Rosalynn Carter

ATLANTA (Nov. 19, 2023) – Habitat for Humanity is deeply saddened by the passing of former U.S. first lady Rosalynn Carter, who was a champion and strong voice for affordable, decent housing for all. For more than three decades, she and President Jimmy Carter donated their time and leadership to Habitat each year to build and improve homes around the world. She died peacefully on Sunday at her home in Plains, Georgia, at the age of 96, with family by her side.

“We grieve the loss of Mrs. Carter and our prayers are with President Carter and their family. Mrs. Carter has helped change the lives of thousands of homeowners, empowered countless women and inspired millions of people. Over the years, she has blessed us with her compassion for serving others and commitment to improving housing conditions,” said Jonathan Reckford, CEO, Habitat for Humanity International. “The Carters lent a hand to Habitat for Humanity as a young, fledging organization and created global awareness of our work and of our mission. We are grateful for the incredible impact she and President Carter have had on Habitat and on the families who have benefited from their shining example.”

After leaving the White House, the Carters planned for meaningful ways to continue their commitment to social justice and basic human rights. Their first volunteer experience with Habitat for Humanity was in March 1984 near their home in Americus, Georgia, where Habitat for Humanity was founded. Later that same year, the Carters joined Habitat volunteers in New York City’s Lower East Side to renovate an abandoned building in partnership with families in need of affordable housing.

That marked Habitat for Humanity’s first Jimmy Carter Work Project, which was later renamed to the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project. Since then, President and Mrs. Carter have worked with more than 104,000 volunteers across the U.S. and in 14 countries to build, renovate and repair 4,390 Habitat homes. Since its founding in 1976, Habitat has served more than 46 million people around the world.

In 2016, Habitat named President and Mrs. Carter as the inaugural Habitat Humanitarians for their extraordinary dedication to service in alignment with Habitat’s vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live.

For photos and videos of President and Mrs. Carter volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, visit habitat.ngo/CarterPhotoVideo.

About Habitat for Humanity

Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity found its earliest inspirations as a grassroots movement on an interracial community farm in south Georgia. Since its founding in 1976, the Christian housing organization has since grown to become a leading global nonprofit working in local communities across all 50 states in the U.S. and in more

than 70 countries. Families and individuals in need of a hand up partner with Habitat for Humanity to build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. Through financial support, volunteering or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. Through shelter, we empower. To learn more, visit habitat.org.


For press:

Contact:

Sofía Trejos Lépiz

Hábitat para la Humanidad Internacional strejos@habitat.org

Health modules – Brenda Yoselin

Brenda (7 years old) lives with her mother Roselia (33 years old), a housewife, her father Benjamín (45 years old), a farmer, her sister Leidy (15 years old), her brother Marlon (10 years old), her brother Yonny (5 years old) and her little sister Elida (3 years old). The family lives in Aldea Simajhuleu, San Juan Comalapa, Chimaltenango.

Brenda likes to play with dolls, coloring books and notebooks, her favorite color is pink and she loves flowers.

Brenda was diagnosed on June 29, 2023 with kidney disease, she is currently receiving her hemodialysis treatment in Guatemala City, for this the family usually leaves early in the morning to be able to arrive on time for her appointment.

With the construction of the health module, Brenda now has a space with the conditions and equipment necessary to perform peritoneal dialysis at home. This project has a direct impact on the savings in time and resources that were required for her to travel to the city to receive her treatment.

Drinking Water System for Nueva Jerusalén

In the heart of the municipality of Poptún, in the department of Petén, lies the community of Nueva Jerusalén. A community that, until recently, faced significant challenges related to access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene. However, thanks to the implementation of a comprehensive project by Habitat for Humanity Guatemala, the lives of 32 families have undergone a transformational change.

Nueva Jerusalén Community at a Glance

Prior to the project, the 32 families of Nueva Jerusalén lived in conditions of poverty and extreme poverty. Their homes were constructed primarily of materials such as wood and sheet metal, and many lacked full or partial access to basic water, hygiene and sanitation services.

Selection of Beneficiary Families

The selection of beneficiary families was carried out with the support of the HPHG technical team and the Community Urban and Rural Development Councils (COCODEs). The families most in need of support were identified, ensuring that they met the foundation’s selection criteria. This ensured that resources were directed to those who really needed them.

Project Implementation

The implementation of the project involved the beneficiary families themselves at various stages. Adults participated in construction tasks, such as transporting materials and supporting the masons. In addition, capacity building activities were promoted to encourage positive changes in health, hygiene, savings and risk management.

Impactful Results

The project succeeded in providing housing solutions that promoted access to water, hygiene and sanitation for these families. As a result:

  • All 32 families now have rainwater harvesting systems, water purifying filters, batteries, and filter system candela replacements.
  • Five community rainwater harvesting systems were built to increase the community’s access to water resources.
  • Families acquired knowledge and self-management tools on health, hygiene, savings and risk management.

Key Strategies

During project implementation, several strategies were employed, including:

Development of an action plan and timeline with established dates.
Identification and selection of families with the participation of community leaders.
Meetings with community leaders and beneficiary families to establish commitments.
Supervision visits of the construction process by technical staff.
Implementation of capacity building activities.
Active participation of community members in various tasks.

Lessons Learned

The project revealed valuable lessons, including:

  • The importance of community engagement in the success of the project.
  • The need to properly manage materials with suppliers.
  • Consider weather factors in planning activities.

Community Impact

The implementation of the project has had a significant impact on the community:

  • Fewer gastrointestinal illnesses due to access to safe water.
  • Less time spent collecting water, allowing families to focus on other activities.
  • Increased knowledge of hygiene and risk management practices.
  • Increased quantity and quality of water available to households.

Sustainability

The project promotes sustainability through community training and empowerment. Families are able to self-manage new projects and address their identified needs. In addition, financial education is promoted to improve family economic management.

Support from Authorities and the Private Sector

The project received support from local authorities, the COCODEs, and the private sector, in particular Aliaxis by Durman, which donated essential materials for project implementation.

The Drinking Water System in Nueva Jerusalén is an inspiring example of how a committed foundation can change lives and entire communities. Thanks to this initiative, 32 families now enjoy improved access to water, hygiene and sanitation, which has had a positive impact on their daily lives and future. This project has not only provided concrete solutions, but has also sown the seeds of self-management and sustainable development in the community of Nueva Jerusalén.

Home Equals…

Guatemala City, (October 4, 2023) – Habitat for Humanity Guatemala joins the five-year campaign, called “Home equals…”, which seeks to change local, national and global policies so that those living in informal settlements improve their access to adequate housing.

According to United Nations data, more than one billion people in the world reside in slums and other informal settlements. These represent more than 50% of the 1.8 billion people worldwide who lack adequate housing. If we look at the regional level, this organization estimates that more than 95 million people live in informal settlements in Latin America and the Caribbean; while other organizations, such as the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF), raise the figure to more than 120 million people.

In Guatemala, according to data compiled by government agencies and civil society organizations, it is estimated that at least 40% of the population does not have adequate housing. This housing deficit is not only a lack of a roof over their heads, but also includes problems related to quality, accessibility, overcrowding, lack of basic services such as drinking water and sanitation, and the precarious conditions of habitability and safety of existing housing.

In that sense, during the XV National Housing Forum, an event where strategies and innovative solutions to address the housing deficit and move towards the achievement of affordable and sustainable housing, Habitat for Humanity Guatemala partners, public and private organizations and special guests joined this campaign, “Home equals…” is already active in more than 35 countries around the world.

Over the next five years, the “Home equals…” campaign will seek to improve people’s lives, through secure tenure, empowered participation, improved climate resilience and access to basic services, we can address poverty, improve health and education, promote racial and gender justice, and support economic growth for all.

Individuals who want to join the “Home equals…” campaign can learn more at https://www.habitat.org/home-equals including how to engage their voice in support of a more equitable world.


Contact:

Diana Reyes, Communications Coordinator

Habitat for Humanity Guatemala

Phone: 4740-6428

DReyes@habitatguate.org

Latin American authorities analyze climate change and its effects on housing in the region

Colombia, July 2023. Under the premise that Latin America and the Caribbean is the second most disaster-prone region in the world, authorities and climate change experts meet this week in Bogotá to analyze current effects of the climate crisis on housing in Colombia and the region. Participants will also learn about affordable and resilient solutions to reduce the current housing deficit, which was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This analysis will take place during the 5th Housing Forum, a regional event organized by Habitat for Humanity and convened through the Urban Housing Practitioners Hub (UHPH). Colombia’s Ministry of Housing, City and Territory, the Secretariat of Habitat and the Bogotá Mayor’s Office are co-hosts. Participating during the three days of the forum will be representatives of the United Nations, World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), private sector, academia, civil society, community leaders, local and regional governments, and others.

Colombia was selected as the venue for the 5th Housing Forum as a regional reference and laboratory of policies and important intersectoral initiatives linking housing and environment, public and private sector, aimed at building more sustainable and efficient housing and habitat. Bogotá is the city venue for the event thanks to its leadership in housing and habitat, and programs for housing access and improvement that have been promoted through the Mayor’s office and District Secretariat of Habitat.

Latin American situation

According to IDB, 45% of the population in Latin America and the Caribbean does not have an adequate place to live. This means people are living in homes built of precarious materials with little resilience to climate change, lacking basic services, many with dirt.

Ernesto Castro, area vice president at Habitat for Humanity in Latin America and the Caribbean.

“Housing is a pillar for the sustainable development of a community, a people, a nation. Efforts need to be redoubled to address the current climate and social crisis, with urgent measures for adapting to climate change through more resilient and safe settlements in compliance with the New Urban Agenda. At Habitat for Humanity, we are clear that we’re called not just to reduce the housing deficit. We must also do this in a sustainable way, adjusting to the reality imposed by our planet. What we’re facing is a challenge of enormous proportions, with serious consequences for those who are most vulnerable. A challenge we cannot tackle in isolation, we must do this together with others,” said Ernesto Castro, Area Vice President of Habitat for Humanity, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Disasters such as hurricanes, droughts and more are a reality millions of Latin Americans face in their homes every year. The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), indicates that worsening climate change and the combined effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have stalled decades of progress against poverty, food insecurity and inequities. In addition, ECLAC

calculates that in 2022, the value of all damage and economic losses related directly or indirectly to disasters in the region amounted to $1.789 billion.

“A much more comprehensive view is required on the part of governments. It is very important to make a transformation in public policy on housing and habitat. There is nothing more important for quality of life than access to clean water and sanitation. The aim is access to adequate housing under a new public policy model that has to do with management, recognizing the importance of community water organizations, and understanding how public resources from the national government should be directed toward investing in housing improvement and new housing, in joint work with the private sector and in understanding how the construction of habitat construction should move forward,” stated Catalina Velasco, Minister of Housing, City and Territory in Colombia.

Celebrating Habitat for Humanity’s decision to choose Bogotá as venue for the forum’s fifth edition, Bogotá Mayor Claudia López Hernández went ahead and welcomed the participants arriving from different countries, presenting a complete panorama of the city’s process of economic and social recovery after the pandemic, and explained that a main focus has been on women.

“That’s why our housing policy included the design and implementation of housing solutions for vulnerable, low-income households (equal to or less than US$ 495 a month) in rental, purchase, upgrade or incremental housing modalities. Through these solutions, we delivered more than 12,000 subsidies, 72% to households headed by women,” explained the mayor.

The current housing crisis affects the most vulnerable sectors of the population above all, among them women, migrants, ethnic groups, young people and the elderly. Day after day they experience the effects on health, on security and on their lives from not having a safe place to call home. Given this situation, the forum is being held so that authorities are able to recognize urgent climate and social challenges in housing and habitat, as well as to share and propose innovative, scalable and responsible solutions addressing climate change, and summon the commitment, investments and resources the emergency demands.

“At UN-Habitat we believe meetings like the 5th Housing Forum are vitally important in the process needed for socioeconomic recovery in Latin America and the Caribbean, in the post COVID-19 context with a global crisis that also affects the region. In our organization we’ve identified housing and habitat-related issues as one of the priority areas for action and intervention, and one of the priority public and private investment areas important to promote,” indicated Elkin Velásquez, regional representative of UN-Habitat for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The event will also include an examination of 12 innovative initiatives that strengthen housing in the face of climate change effects, and which will receive recognition during a special award ceremony as the winners of the 2023 UHPH Inspiring Practices contest. This competition is held every two years to acknowledge and showcase housing initiatives that, through innovation and collaboration, help improve the quality of life of low-income families in the region.

The 5th Housing Forum is held with the support of The Hilti Foundation as global presenter and sponsored by regional partners such as: the Whirlpool Corporation, Grupo Argos, UN-Habitat, Development Bank of Latin America, Swiss Contact, World Vision, the International Habitat Summit-Latin America and the Caribbean, Miyamoto, Eternit and Asociación de Empresas Inmobiliarias del Perú. Previously, the forum was held virtually from Costa Rica in 2021, in Dominican Republic in 2018, Mexico in 2015 and Colombia in 2012.

Tithe Tour 2023

Through Habitat for Humanity’s tithe program, U.S. affiliates and national organizations worldwide, are asked to contribute 10% of their unrestricted revenue to other Habitat programs around the world, in order to support Habitat’s global mission of everyone living in an adequate and dignified place they can call home.  

Every year, the International Resource Development team takes time to visit some of the Habitat offices that donate their tithe to our national programming, in order to strengthen our relationships. We hold meetings and activities that allow us to share with others about our work in Guatemala, and, most importantly, to thank and present the tangible results of their contribution and partnership.  

During the first week of June, Habitat Guatemala had the opportunity to resume the annual Tithe Tour, in which Delorean Randich, National Director, Vanessa Brombosz, Director of International Resource Development, and Celia Enriquez, Tithe and Global Village Coordinator, visited 5 tithe affiliates on the US East Coast; HFH of the Charlotte Region, Asheville Area HFH and Avery County HFH in North Carolina, HFH Choptank in Maryland and Sussex County HFH in Delaware.

 

This opportunity has given us the chance to strengthen bonds with our international partners and discuss how tithe contributes to the growth of our families and allows us to maintain this principle of generosity and collaboration that transcends borders and languages. 

We thank each affiliate who welcomed us to their offices and look forward to continuing our efforts to build homes, communities and hope, and impact more Guatemalan families, together.