HABITAT FOR HUMANITY A VOLUNTEER-BASED ORGANIZATION THAT BUILDS HOMES FOR AND WITH PEOPLE WHO NEED THEM

VOCABULARY 1. Decent - good enough 2. Devastating - causing a huge amount of damage and destruction 3. Fulfilled - satisfied that your life has meaning 4. Mortgage - money borrowed from a bank to buy a house 5. Slum - an area of houses that are dirty & in bad condition, often with no water

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY FACTS Started a “partnership housing model”: people who need houses work together with volunteers Began building homes for people in Africa President Carter and wife became volunteers First Native American Project in South Dakota Habitat named 6 th largest home builder in U.S.

WHY IS HABITAT NEEDED? Natural disasters Poverty Haiti Earthquake, 2010 Over 800 Million people in the world live in slums Slum: an area of houses that are dirty & in bad condition, often with no water

HOW IT WORKS Families in need of decent (good enough) shelter apply to the local Habitat office New homeowners work for hundreds of hours on their own house and others people’s houses Volunteers help build houses & donors give money Monthly mortgage payments go towards building more Habitat houses (mortgage = money borrowed to buy a house)

EXAMPLE The Lopez family in Delaware, U.S. Soon they will move into a new house they are building with Habitat for Humanity. 3 year old Ahmari lives with her family in a mobile home that is falling apart.

EXAMPLE Victims of the tsunami in 2004 Habitat has helped more than 800 families build houses in Indonesia after the devastating tsunami. Devastating: causing a huge amount of damage and destruction

GREEN HOUSING Habitat For Humanity: Uses a smaller amount of materials when building Uses recycled materials Builds homes that are energy and water efficient Uses new methods and technology Builds homes that are healthy and have good air quality Plants new trees to replace trees used in house construction

VOLUNTEERS “Women Build” – a Habitat program that teaches building skills to women. “Veterans Build” – A similar program for military service members and veterans. Habitat involves different groups that need skills and want to help others.

WHY I LIKE HABITAT FOR HUMANITY They help people all over the world, in many situations They empower people, not just help them: “A hand up, not a handout” The “Women Build” program teaches women skills and helps them feel strong They build “green” houses Volunteers feel happy and fulfilled (satisfied that your life has meaning)