Habitat is committed to keeping vulnerable children within their own community and strengthening the resources and social support networks needed by caregivers, believing this is the most effective response to ensure orphaned and vulnerable children have the opportunities and environment they need to succeed.
Working in partnership with other community based organisations Habitat’s programme has extended across Africa and Cambodia meeting the multi-dimensional needs of thousands of orphans each year.
Habitat NI’s commitment to Cambodia is supporting a holistic pilot programme which will give a hand up to more than 1,000 orphans and vulnerable children.
4 out of 10 families in Cambodia are living in abject poverty with over 30% of the population living on less that $1 per day. The country has an estimated 750,000 orphans, with that number increasing on average by 16,000 each year.
Cambodia is in the grip of a HIV/Aids epidemic and in 2006 there were approximately 65,000 adults and 6,000 children living with HIV/Aids, most of whom are increasingly vulnerable to poverty as family income is spent on health needs and funerals.
Habitat NI’s commitment is supporting free house renovations, extensions and new homes for around 375 vulnerable, impoverished families caring for more than 1,000 orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/Aids.
Support from Northern Ireland will strengthen the care of orphans and vulnerable children, ensuring they are supported and nurtured in a natural home environment in their own communities.
Through partnering with other community organisations the programme will also offer group-style homes and 24-hour hospice care, helping to reduce the stigma suffered by many orphans and vulnerable children.
The holistic nature of the programme in Cambodia will help train and educate families in financial planning, land tenure and property rights, home maintenance skills and vocational training.
The additional support offered by the programme will equip families to better protect themselves for the long-term, demonstrating the importance of safe, secure shelter in improving the health and well being of families.
Vicheka and En Pohm
14 year old Vicheka lives with her grandmother En Pohm in a small wooden shack in Cambodia. En Pohm has lived in the house since 1979 but it is built on stilts and is slowing sinking into the mud from the nearby pond.
During the rainy season the tin roof leaks and flooding from the nearby pond encourages mosquitos carrying dengue and malaria. With no proper sanitation facilities En Phom and Vicheka are forced to use the outdoor space as a toilet.
With no father figure to support her Vicheka’s mother left her in her grandmother’s care shortly after she was born. Each day after school, Vicheka and Pohm pick vegetables in the field in order to have enough money to survive.
After becoming very ill three years ago Vicheka was diagnosed as HIV positive leading to ill-treatment and stigmatic abuse from extended family members.
Habitat is helping to support Pohm and her young granddaughter through house repairs, land tenure security and the installation of a sanitary pit latrine.
Support from Habitat Northern Ireland has been helping orphaned and vulnerable children and their families, through new housing, improved existing housing and protecting inheritance rights.
As one of the poorest countries in the world almost 8% of Mozambique’s 20million population is represented by orphans. 500,000 of these orphans can be attributed to the devastating affect HIV/AIDS is having on the communities of Mozambique with a further 500 people becoming infected every day.
The orphans of Mozambique are exceptionally vulnerable, living in deplorable conditions, unable to buy food and lacking access to proper healthcare and education.
Often in Mozambique elderly grandmothers become the primary caregiver, however, this network of care is becoming increasingly overwhelmed by the ever growing number of orphans.
Support from Habitat Northern Ireland has helped Mozambique deliver a three year project that will provide safe, healthy and legally protected shelter for 3,600 families caring for a total of 10,800 orphans and vulnerable children.
House construction and improvements include: ventilated pit latrines for improved sanitation, cement floors to reduce moisture and pest infestation, weather proof roofing, insecticide treated mosquito nets and Certeza treatment kits to ensure access to clean drinking water.
The programme also educates orphans and vulnerable children and their caregivers about property and land rights, and to assist with the writing of a legal will. Health education work-shops are provided to increase knowledge of malaria and HIV/AIDs prevention, care and treatment.
Assarta’s Story
Help from HFH Mozambique was the hand-up Assarta Monollane needed to provide her orphaned nephew with a safe and healthy environment to grow up in.
In 2001, after 11 years of marriage, Assarta found herself separated from her husband and alone without any family network. With the support of friends and various services she overcame health difficulties and began volunteering with two local care based organisations, Mae Liders (Mothers Leading) and Kumbuca.
In 2005 tragedy struck when Assarta’s brother Samuel died and left behind a young orphaned son, Aderto. Taking in her nephew was a huge undertaking and Assarta struggled to provide for him. Habitat Mozambique offered Assarta and Aderto the help they needed to overcome their difficulties and in 2007 they moved into their Habitat home.
Assarta continues to work for the good of her community assisting Habitat Mozambique to find the families and orphans and vulnerable children who need a hand up to build their way out of poverty.
Support from Habitat NI helped establish the Abwezi Athu programme in 2009 and over the last 2 years has delivered new homes for 136 orphans.
With over 1.1 million orphans Malawi has one of the highest prevalence of orphans and vulnerable children in Southern Africa, more than half of which are due to the HIV/Aids epidemic.
The orphan epidemic in Malawi is exacerbated by the lack of knowledge of inheritance rights, absence of wills to protect inherited housing and negative cultural practices and attitudes towards orphans.
Over the last two year, with support from Habitat NI, Habitat Malawi has helped transform the lives of 34 families, delivering new homes for 136 orphans. HFH Malawi has improved the overall health and well being of the families through fully subsidised homes, private and secure pit latrines, mosquito nets and malaria prevention and treatment training.
Habitat Malawi has also been able to provide legal and inheritance rights training to a total of 55 caregivers and community leaders. With this improved knowledge it is hoped families will be better able to legally protect themselves.
Continued support from Habitat NI will allow the extension of the Abwezi Athu programme. By the end of 2011 Habitat Malawi will have served 14 OVC families with housing and mosquito nets, trained 200 families in inheritance rights and trained 200 families in basic health, hygiene and home maintenance.
Anna’s Story
Following her husband’s death in 2009, Anna Chimarilo is now a single mum to her 4 children: Cliff (18), Tabia (17), Susan (13) and Mike (2). The entire family live on less than $1 per day.
After one wall of their house collapsed causing the roof to cave in, the family moved to a small house belonging to a relative which was just 6m2, with no windows. Cooking was done in the same house, causing breathing problems for the children.
With direct support from Habitat Northern Ireland, Habitat Malawi has helped the family build a new secure home with adequate ventilation, enough space and proper sanitation facilities.
Susan is thrilled to have moved into their new house as she believes it will help her achieve her dreams of becoming a nurse, “I am very excited about our new home, I will be able to write my homework without problems as it has enough light during the day. My books will not be getting wet anymore when it rains.”
Anna takes great comfort from knowing the children’s health will improve and they will be protected from malaria, as they now have mosquito nets provided by Habitat.
“My children will be living a healthy life now, free from disease. Their future is bright.”