afrol News - Habitat celebrates success

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afrol News, 20 March - Habitat for Humanity Africa and the Middle East will be marking its record achievement: help provide decent and affordable housing to 50,000 families in the region.

The high-profile event, which takes place in the Egyptian city of Al Mina on 27 March, will also provide an opportunity for Habitat for Humanity Egypt to celebrate the completion of its 10,000th house.

“This celebration will be a chance for us to honour our partners and donors who have worked with us earnestly throughout the 19 years," the National Director of Habitat for Humanity, Yousry Makar, said in a statement.

"My hope is that through this event, we can look forward to working together in serving more families in need of shelter for many more years to come,” he said.

Habitat's various programs within the region have found innovative ways to address the unique shelter needs of the communities throughout the region, especially for children orphaned by HIV/AIDS and their caregivers.

It had provided disaster reconstruction for affected families of Lebanon's sectarian conflict. Habitat's country programs also address the challenges faced by both the rural and urban poor, and refugees and internally displaced persons.

In building homes alongside homeowners and community members, Habitat has also helped build hope where it was previous lacking. It believed that with improved living conditions, adults and children have the opportunity to live healthier, more productive lives and optimistic future.

A Habitat homeowner in Botswana, could not swallow his joy. “When you have adequate accommodations, you are happy. I look forward to staying in my Habitat house with my children, happily," Bakgori Letlole said.

The organisation built its first house in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1979. But today it works in 22 countries throughout the region.

The non-government organisation, founded in the USA in 1976 with a clear agenda to eliminate poverty housing, Habitat for Humanity International, has so far built more than 200,000 houses in dozens of countries the world over.