40 Houses in 40 Days of Solidarity in São Leopoldo

About 10 City Halls of the Rio Grande do Sul State are already interested in starting projects with Habitat for Humanity Brazil, after seeing the success of the “40 Days of Solidarity”, which was held during the last Lent. It were 7 weeks of building, reflections, help and dedication to others.

There were many volunteers involved in the project: local and international ones, between 16 and 60 years-old, since students until engineers and entrepreneurs. It were 100 foreigners in total, coming from Canada, Korea, Japan, Singapore and most of all from United States. The national volunteers were in a number of 500 people, including students, churches members, Habitat’s partners and the families in need to be benefited. “Habitat for Humanity was a great leader who really dedicated to all the details to take care of the guests, including transport, sleeping and meals. We were truly treated as partners in this service for others”, said Gary L. Hansen, Bishop that took part of the group brought by Thrivent Builds.

The movement in the worksite was intense, but Habitat for Humanity Brazil, entity that made this initiative possible by means of sending a project to Caixa Econômica Federal, the Brazilian Government Bank, and could access the its subsidy, was present in all the levels of development and making of decisions. Its concerning and efficient participation has contributed to the strengthen of the two habitation cooperatives of the region, Bomfim and Progresso, besides helping to fortify the partnerships already firmed in the region and to establish alliances for future projects. Moreover, the organization was the main responsible for raising the complementary resource to the subsidy of the CAIXA, amount needed for the conclusion of the building. “We (my husband, my kids and I) are so happy for being contemplated with a house. We are also happy with these people who travel the world giving solidarity to others, in this time here in São Leopoldo, helping us to build our home. If each person who can help donating money or labor do like them, it wouldn’t be so many people in the world feeling alone and in poverty conditions. If everybody thought a bit about the others and if they acted with love the world would be better. We are happy with such attitude” , says Elza Maria dos Santos, owner of one of the 40 houses built by the project.

Besides its logistic, bureaucratic, legal and assistential aspects, the project was distinguished for its capacity of integrating religious leaders and members of Lutherans, Catholics, Anglicans, Presbyterians and Evangelical Churches, all together in the name of the same goal and the dissemination of solidarity with others, being theses purposes above of any difference of faith. Bishops, priests and shepherds had been side by side, at the same time sharing its teachings and carrying out cement and bricks. In this way they had helped to build more than houses, they helped dream become true and also to form citizens.

“Throughout this project, the families could put their reliance on the government and their trust in Christian solidarity. With the support of HPH Brasil, the City Hall and from other partners, these families will have the chance of living in a decent habitat and will rescue the hope in future better days” - Ademar de Oliveira Marques – Executive Director of Habitat para a Humanidade Brasil.

Click here for further information at the web page of the event or contact us at: elvescastilho@habitatbrasil.org.br

Habitat for Humanity Brazil fights against lack of housing in Goiás State

Located 30 km away from the capital city of Goiás State, at the metropolitan area of Goiânia, the city of Abadia de Goiás will be benefited once again with the building of affordable, safe and comfortable houses. This initiative will help about 250 people from Vila Socorro to have a decent place to live.

With a high level of poverty, reaching 30.95% and a lack of housing of 6.5%, Abadia de Goiás is constantly searching for alternative ways that could improve the conditions of life in the region. The City Hall donated to our organization 50 pieces of land and it will provide basic infrastructure, which includes: paving, water, energy, sewage system, etc.

The building is expected to start in the second semester of 2007. The project relies on the subsidy of the Caixa Econômica Federal, the Brazilian Government Bank, aiming to reach up to US$ 6,500.00 per house, which represents almost 91% of the total cost per unit. The City Hall of Abadia de Goiás will approve and provide all the necessary documentation in April. After that, we expect the agreement with CAIXA to be protocolled to appreciation and the first sixteen habitation units to be approved until the end of May. However, the granted value of the subsidy will be proportional to the social and economic status of each family selected by the project. Habitat for Humanity Brazil is looking for new partners to support the project and to sponsor the residual amount.

Our organization has already built 526 houses in the State of Goiânia and, amongst them, 107 decent homes in the city of Abadia de Goiás. In this new project, we are planning to help low incomes families of up to one minimum wage per month. The houses are about 42 square meters with two rooms, one living room, one dinner room, one kitchen, one bathroom and one laundry. This initiative will collaborate to the reduction of the statistic of 13.4% of houses built with only three rooms in the region.

If you want to form a group of volunteers to help theses families in the conquest of a decent place to live or if you intend to support this initiative, contact us at: neylon@habitatbrasil.org.br

CRM Guide presents case study of Habitat for Humanity

From the second fortnight of May on, IDIS (Institute for the Development of Social Investment organizes in São Paulo an event to promote the first Brazilian Guide of CRM (Cause-Related Marketing). This book is the second publication on the theme in Brazil, which was developed under a partnership of IDIS with a strategic group of companies and also with a committee composed of civil society organizations with different causes, which has Habitat para a Humanidade Brasil as one of its members.

In accordance with BiTC, IDIS and the Committee of CSO’s, CRM can be defined like a commercial partnership between companies and civil society organizations, which use the power of their brands to mutual benefit. The phrase cause-related marketing was first used in 1983, when American Express made a campaign to raise money for the restoration of the Statue of Liberty. In Brazil, the divulgation of this concept had started with the promotion of the McHappy Day once a year at McDonald’s Restaurants al over the country. During the 19 years of the program, the raised amount of over than 22.5 million dollars was donated to entities that take care of children with cancer. As result of the social investment, the cure index of the disease was raised from 35% to 70%

“When you are a social investor, while you persist on a cause, you can see the result”, says Marcia Woods, Institutional Development Coordinator of IDIS. With this motivation, the Guide suggests an interlocution between second and third sectors. To do this, presents information about implementation methodology of CRM tool, tips and steps-to-steps for its use, principles and premises of a partnership established under this concept and case studies, national and international ones. Amongst the international, it will be possible to know about the alliance between Habitat for Humanity and Whirlpool, the first and largest cornerstone partner of HFH. The ultimate goal of the company is to be involved in the build of Habitat houses al over the world about 2011.

If you want further information about this partnership, click here. For further information about CRM Guide, contact us at: fernandabaroni@habitatbrasil.org.br