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| Habitat for Humanity Sri Lanka |
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Created in 1995, Habitat for Humanity Sri Lanka (HFHSL) completed building of it's 10,000th house in 2008. This equates to 770 homes a year on this glorious island that have brought happiness and a sense of worth to a large number of people who would otherwise be living below the poverty line, without the help and support of our organization.
Operating from four Habitat Resource Centers(HRC's) that cover the length and breadth of the island, we have become next to the government, the most productive home builders in the country.
Our Sri Lankan team have created a unique infrastructure called the Save and Build Program. For example, 12 families save till they have enough money to build one house. Habitat then gives an interest free loan so two more can be built. The process dominoes till all 12 families have a small house to call home within 2 years. The inhabitants pay off the loan in say, 4 years, and the repayments are immediately pumped back into the next Save and Build project, meaning work never stops on providing housing for those who desperately need it.
Habitat encourages a sense of community, with their ‘Sweet Equity’ ethos, which requires each recipient to work on not just their home but on those of their Save and Build members. Everything possible is done to make this whole process as cost efficient as possible, without substituting the basic requirements of a house.
Housing for those who had their lives devastated by the 2004 asian tsunami has gone extremely well. No repayment was required on houses destroyed. Houses were and are being built as quickly as funds and land become available. Slowly the recipients of these homes, who were aided by hundreds of volunteers from across the globe, are being integrated into the Save and Build program.
In short HFHSL is in a continuously revolving program that draws together volunteers and Sri Lankans in a process of creating a better standard of life through adequate housing, for those who need it most. Habitat for Humanity InternationalFounded in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller, Habitat for Humanity International is based around a simple but vital belief-that everyone has the right to a decent home.
A non-profit Christian ministry Habitat has for 34 years been doing all it can to eliminate housing that falls below the poverty line. Over one billion people around the world live in conditions that are not acceptable in the 21st century, be it a lack of running water, electricity, drainage or even basic shelter from the elements.
Habitat wants people of all faiths and backgrounds to pull together to change this. To bring the skills and experience that they have gained together, to build houses, create long lasting and mutually beneficial relationships and a sense of global togetherness. Put simply, to help make the world a better place for those less fortunate than themselves. Make a DifferenceWe invite you to ask yourself: Do I want to make a difference, to help people have a sense of self worth and a house to call a home? If the answer is yes then please come and join Habitat for Humanity. For those compassionate enough to go out of their comfort zone it will be a once in a life time exploration of self discovery, a mission of innate decency and goodness that will have a hugely positive effect upon the lives of people who deserve so much better.
For young people unburdened by the responsibilities of adult life, but with the desire to make a difference and forge their own unique imprint upon the world, it is a chance that can not be missed. Join us in a far flung field in one of our building projects. Organise fundraisers at home, create youth organizations, or educate those around you about problems that do not enter the daily thoughts of those privileged to live above the poverty line. The ways of making a difference are endless. Seize the moment, make a difference and begin a personal adventure that could last a lifetime.
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