Subsidy Program for housing units acquisition: project of HFH Brazil serves the first 13 families in the metropolitan area of Goiânia, the capital city of Goiás State

Ms. Zenilde Castro Pimentel, benefited by the subsidy of the project :: Photo - Habitat para a Humanidade Brasil

Habitat for Humanity (HFH) Brazil had settled up a new partnership in the city of Abadia de Goiás, located 30 Km away from the city of Goiânia. It is a project in alliance with the Caixa Econômica Federal, the Brazilian Federal Bank, for Acquisition of Concluded Housing Unit. This modality is part of the Curator Council of the Employment Time Guarantee Fund - FGTS (CCFGTS) number 518, document that brings information about the several access possibilities to the government subsidy destined to the housing financing.

In accordance with such modality, the “Caixa” can buy both new and used real estate properties from families that didn't participate of any federal program of housing benefits yet and whom have monthly income of up to 3 minimum wages. The value of the subsidy, that can reaches up to 80% of the total cost of the housing unit, depends on a social and economic analysis of the subscribed family and it can be supplied by means an organizing institution that fill out the application form and give to the “Caixa” all the requested documentation.

The subsidy is accessed through a collective operation of credit (by means of Associations of Residents, nonprofit organizations, Cooperatives, etc.) So, it is demanded a guaranty from the organization as compensation to the supply of the credit, what can be a financial amount or properties and services economically measurable. "The subsidy is available in a modality that any organized institution can have access to it. Moreover, there is a deadline when reached the resource returns back to the Government and it is redirected for another purpose not housing ends", explains Neylon Faleiro, Projects Coordinator of HFH Brazil.

The whole negotiation and analysis of documents took one year, starting with the opening of the process in July of 2006, when the family was living in the news housing for only two months, until the approval of the credit to the 13 selected families in Luly of 2007. However, HFH Brazil only could be the proposing organization of this project because all the 13 families were served by one of the phases of the Nova Abadia Project, sponsored with resources of HFH Brazil's Solidary Rotate Fund. In this period, the families were granted the micro credit for total financing of their homes (in the value of USD$ 7,500) and they had participated of the building process.

The analysis made by “Caixa” considers several proponents’ data, like age, monthly income, number of family members, declared expenses and debt capacity. During that evaluation time, the families still keep living in their Habitat houses, maintaining the payment of the monthly installments of the micro credit while they were for an answer. These installments are between USD$ 38.00 and USD$ 60.00, with stated period of 10 years for quittance of the financing and absolute title of the property. When the processes were finally approved, the stated period of the financings were recalculated proportionally to the amount of the subsidy granted to each family.

To HFH Brazil, the subsidy allows advance payment of part of the invested value, providing enough resources to the organization keep on helping other families to have a decent place to live. To “Caixa”, it represents the execution of the goals established by the Federal Government related to the application of the available budget in social housing ends. To the families, the subsidy is an important financial help, which allows the micro credit debt balance be smaller than the initial granted financing. Besides, the families received the absolute title of the property at the same time they had sign the contract with “Caixa”.

In the last Saturday of July, it was held a solemnity to share such initiative with the society. It were present the Mayor and some Aldermen of Abadia de Gioás city, State Deputies, representatives of Caixa Econômica Federal, besides local partners of HFH Brazil and other families assisted in projects of the organization. "We really reached our objective: to make the money get there in the end", said Jonatas Ferreira of Oliveira, Regional Superintendent of the Caixa Econômica Federal in Goiás State.

In this same meeting, it was accomplished the house dedication of 16 units built by the Nova Abadia Project, which, in this phase, will serve, at all, 50 families in need of decent shelter in Abadia de Goiás city.

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Photo - Habitat para a Humanidade Brasil

Varjada Project: sustainable development project

Varjada, known as “the city of embroidering”, is a rural community located in Passira City, 117 Km far from Recife, capital of Pernambuco State. The economy of Passira is largely based on subsistence farming and animal husbandry, as well as small scale commerce of embroidering products. Most of the houses in Varjada are made of “taipa”, whose biggest problem is the structural security. Without finishing, with holes in the roof and in the adobe walls, the houses became the perfect environment for dangerous insects, mainly, the Triatoma, the main transmitter of the Illness of Chagas.

In this reality, 90% of the women population are involved in embroidering activities trying to increase the precarious monthly income of the family which, most of the time, does not reach the equivalent to one minimum wage per month. Moreover, the women of Varjada also face a very hard reality in an agricultural zone with almost none available infrastructure or social services. Besides, they are barely illiterates and have to take care of their entire families and also word in the farm and water supply. In general, they need to walk about 3 km to collect water and came back with heavy reservoirs under a very hot weather.

The establishment of the main necessities of the community and the articulation process with the families began in March of 2005. Since then, Habitat for Humanity Brasil has been developing a project in the region in partnership with several institutions, aiming to end the poverty situation and to improve the local conditions of housing, hygiene, health and economy. With this purpose, Habitat is acting in the community development throughout the building of rainwater tanks and of decent, safe and economic houses; program of income generation by means the improvement of the products (handicraft) quality; and Financial and Literacy trainings.

So far, 78 houses and 55 rainwater tanks were dedicated to the families. Moreover, the social inclusion of the women are being guaranteed by means a local representative association, offering conditions to improve the quality and possibilities of commercialization of their products. The group is already selected by “Talents of Brazil”, which is a project of Brazilian Government and other partners created with the purpose of strengthening groups of handcrafters based in the methodology of marketing prospecting. The project also intends to provide the necessary training to the local people, contributing for the sustainable development of their communities.

Habitat have been also articulating partners in favor of the poor people in Varjada, promoting advocacy actions to help them to defend their needs. A great achievement is the building of a health care center as a result of the mobilization of both Federal and City Government. Almost the totality of labor working in this construction consists of Varjada’s residents, contributing for the job generation in the region. With speeded up rhythm of work, the Health Care Center will be 100% operational in 2008. The center will have capacity to attend 500 people and will benefit the families who live around in the communities of Varjada.

Another great achievement of the project is the construction of a school that will benefit more than 150 children thanks to the partnership with Graded School in São Paulo. This is the first time Habitat for Humanity Brasil includes a school on its community development project.

Read also about the progresses with the income generation project and the building of new houses in the community on this last bimonthly.

Photo - Habitat para a Humanidade Brasil

“Bordados que Brotam” helps to improve the way of life in Varjada community

“Bordados que Brotam” is the name of the women embroiderers association of Varjada, a rural community located in the interior of Pernambuco State, and whose families were (or still are being) assisted by the building program of houses and watering reservoirs of Habitat for Humanity Brazil. The association has about 80 women. Most of all declare to have experience of over than 10 years in embroidery with several fabrics. Their craft production strengthen the embroidery culture of the region and, besides, the sum obtained with the sale of the pieces complements the family monthly income that, for much of them, is less than 1 minimum wage. Moreover, being organized in an association assures to them a socioeconomic inclusion in a fair process of market.

The art of embroidering requires a special technique for the production of products with enough quality for commercialization. So, the embroiderers have been joining together weekly with the intention of changing experiences. They are also participating of trainings about several issues as group organization, institutional strengthening, products promotion, productive processes, sales and political participation. These workshops are developed through the Program of Economic Development named "Solidary Trade", a part of the project “Employment and Income Generation", implemented by World Vision - Brazil. WVB, which caries out its mission in over than 100 countries and develops projects in impoverished communities of Brazil since 1975, has a principle of guaranteeing development processes based on the community.

Besides motivating the embroiderers to sell themselves their production, WVB is one of the partners of Ética - Solidary Trade, company that sells the communities' products to national and international traders by means of the fair and solidary market, without receiving any profit. Negotiations of orders and flowing of the production are made throughout Ética. " Researches in the community show that 51% of the families has monthly income fewer than USD$ 80.00 and we hope that through orders of products this income be increased so the embroiderers could reach a monthly income compatible with the minimum wage (USD$190.00)", explains Moisés Lima, General Coordinator of Projects of the Economic Development Program in World Vision - Brazil.

The first good opportunity of exhibition was during the VIII Fenneart - Businesses National Fair of Pernambuco, which was held from 6-15 of July in the Pernambuco Conventions Center. The “Bordados que Brotam” could sell its products in a stand ceded by ‘Pró Rural’, technical unit responsible for the management of projects of the General Office of Planning and Administration of the Government of Pernambuco, agency that works for the improvement of the way of life of who lives in the rural area of the State.

During the time in fair, (10 th – 15th), the association received about USD$ 1,750.00 with the sale of their products for national and international buyers that were there in these days. Besides, the embroiderers have guaranteed an intense promotion of their work and learned a lot with the negotiations processes. A percentage of this resource will be destined to form the social capital of the association and to compose the treasury and administration processes.

Nowadays, local Churches provide to “Bordados que Brotam” a room where the members can perform their meetings and trainings. But fortunately this will no longer happen: the Municipality of Passira donated a piece of land (about 6,000 square meters) to the community, promoting alliances for the building of the association “office” there. They also foresaw the installation of social equipments, as infirmary, school, social center and a mill. The local Government, Habitat for Humanity Brazil and the Brazilian Federal Bank are the main articulators of such negotiations.

By means of the solidary economy approach and the project partners' commitment, this community is being able to develop itself, learning how to struggle for its citizenship and how to demand its rights for having life quality improvements. The solidary economy has been pointed as an innovative and effective alternative of employment and income generation in Brazil. The lack of decent houses is one of the components of the decent habitat and, today, HFH Brazil acts together with several partners to eliminate the poverty in this region.

Photo - Antonio Prais

Volunteers of Bermuda are the biggest international brigade of HFH Brazil history

Third five members of Bermudas Overseas Mission (BOM) came to Brazil last July to support for the first time the Habitat for Humanity (HFH) mission in Brazil. BOM is a nonprofit Bermudian organization founded in 2006 by David M. Thompson with the purpose of supporting HFH action all over the world, by promoting the volunteer service and the reduction of the cost of the houses, by proportioning cultural interchanges in different countries and also by raising funds for the Cause. The first country that received its support was Romênia. This year, besides Brazil, the BOM will be involved with HFH India, where they arrive next September.

David M. Thompson is a Presbyterian pastor subscripted since 2002 in HFH International as a leader of volunteers' groups. The choice for helping Brazilian families in this year was motivated by the group’s interest in acting in the South America region and, after making this decision, they evaluated two points before picking up Varjada: the fact of Varjada be a community that had never received an international group and because it is one of the most remote areas of the country which desperately needs help. "It’s a far cry from life in the cities. Varjada is a community that congregates 100% of poor people. In the cities, you can see the diversity between rich and poor, but such thing doesn't happen in Varjada. There is a common situation - the poverty", says Thompson.

When they arrived in the country, they first started to know some tourist spots in State of Pernambuco, as the famous thermal waters. On July 23, first day of service in the worksite, the volunteers were surprised with a warm welcome in the community's Methodist Church. The ceremony counted on the presence of the National Director of HFH Brazil, members of “Bordados que Brotam”, project’s partners and the General Commander of the Military Police of Pernambuco, who took advantage of the moment to manifest great interest in establishing a future integration agreement between MP and HFH Brazil.

The group was quite heterogeneous, congregating Bermudian, American, English and Canadian people, amongst whom most students, between 18 and 25 years-old. There are also retired, entrepreneurs, housewives and even a policeman. In this group, only 15 of them were participating for the first time of this program, but none of them had built before in a rural area. Everybody considered incredible this experience and they became very touched by the simplicity and shyness of the community's residents. "We felt so happy with help those people. Now it will be faster and soon, with the new house finished it will there more space to host the family. Until now there was no enough space for us once more about the parents. That God bless all of them who came so far to build here ", says Ms. Eliane Maria of Silva, mother of four young children.

BOM had collected about USD$ 30,000 for the project and they group donated new clothes, books and toys to the local Church and also to an orphanage of Limoeiro do Norte, the city where they were accommodated. During the period that the volunteeres had been serving in Brazil (July, 23 - August, 03), they built 4 houses that are now waiting for electrical and hydraulical installations and painting before being dedicated to the families next September. They also helped in the building of 2 watering reservoirs (14,000 liters each) and pulled down 3 inadequate houses. After all, when they stopped to analyze the results of their actions in this community, they get deeply touched because realized they could help to give the hope back to those families; families used to live in substandard conditions for a long time.

This was the biggest international group of volunteers that the organization already received in Brazil and, at the same time, the first time that a brigade builds in a rural community. All the participants of Bermudas Overseas Aid manifested interest in returning to Brazil next year and they already begin to evaluate which will be their destiny next time.

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Prof. Luis de La Mora

Habitat for Humanity Brazil and the Federal University of Pernambuco accomplish a partnership for the project “Better Practices of the Social Production of Habitat” in Brazil
By Prof. Luis de La Mora

The International Seminar about Social Production of Habitat, which took place in São Paulo, in November of 2006, by the initiative of Habitat for Humanity (HFH) Brazil represented an important incentive for the search of alternative solutions already implemented by other organizations to overcome the substandard conditions of habitability that great population contingents in all of Latin America suffer from.

Both the opening speech, presented by the brilliant researcher and professor Erminia Maricato, and the “Carta de São Paulo” (Letter of São Paulo), approved by the participants during the closing of the seminar, emphasized the necessity of promoting an intense social mobilization, as well as the Inter-sectorial alliance that must happen with governments, companies, organizations and civil society movements, aiming to multiply the consequence of the initiatives that have been happening in an isolated manner all over the continent. Besides, this promotion shall also give the initiatives the status of public politics, recognized and supported by governmental and non-governmental programs of financing and technical support.

Front this situation, Habitat for Humanity launched the “Better Practices” Project in Mexico, Colombia and Brazil, with the intention of identifying more favorable social, cultural, organizational and institutional conditions for the success of Social Production of Habitat initiatives.

The Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) has more than thirty years of experience in this subject, throughout the Masters and Doctorate programs in Urban Development – MDU, carrying through researches and forming scientists and technicians who act in the most diverse sectors to understand and to intervene in the resolution of urban problems. Because of this, UFPE was recognized like an university with enough expertise to collaborate with HFH in the implementation of the project in Brazil, counting on the operational support of students of the Knowledge Connections Program: university dialogues with popular communities, from the same university that they participate in diverse research activities.

Thus, with the support of HFH Brazil and other important partners, it was created by the MDU the discipline of Advanced Topics of Urban Management: Social Production of Habitat. Its main intentions are: to create the critical mass, to equalize the agreement of what it specifically means to be the Social Production of Habitat and, mainly, to mobilize partners and to identify the best operational strategies collectively for the promotion and support of innovative programs in the line of the SPH that are to be promoted by the identified communities as capable to carry them out.

Participating in this discipline are six masters, one doctor, and more than thirty professionals who act in projects of agrarian regularization, urbanization of substandard settlements, building or reform of houses, tied with the public agencies as government of the state, municipalities, the Federal Government Bank (Caixa Econômica Federal); nonprofits organizations and social movements affiliate with the State Forum of the Urban Reformation; technician of construction companies, and also students of the Knowledge Connections program.

The thematic main points of the discipline have been: a) the concept, basis and strategies of the Social Production of Habitat; b) concept of habitability and its diverse dimensions that demand an interdisciplinary approach; c) the social participation and institutional articulation as basic strategies of the Social Production of Habitat; d) institutional politics, programs and projects for agrarian regularization, urbanization of settlements and housing; e) urban, building and architectural dimensions of the Social Production of Habitat.

Throughout 15 weeks, the participants of the discipline collectively established a theoretical framework on the basic concept of Social Production of Habitat, its principles, and mainly its essential characteristics that must be preserved and the strategies that must be adopted in all initiative which intends on producing the habitat through the protagonism of the inhabitants and the solid institutional joint that preserves the autonomy of the initiative.

Along with this theoretical dimension - conceptual structure of adjusted strategies, the participants of the discipline carried out field research by interacting with the team of researchers to identify settlements in substandard conditions of habitability and, at the same time, sufficiently apt to carry out programs in partnership with diverse sectors, using the existing public programs in the cities.

In the conclusion of the discipline that coincides with the closing of the initial research phase of the project, there will be a Seminar, on the 3rd, 4th and 5th of October of 2007 for the presentation of this issues to public agencies, nonprofit organizations and grass-based movements that act in the metropolitan area of Recife. The results of the research will be shared along with the conclusions of discipline identifying the areas with worse conditions of habitability, in which the communities endowed with a solid base of democratic management and ample net of institutional mobilization could be stimulated to initiate projects of social production of habitat, with support of the members of the organizations and institutions by adopting the strategies based on the knowledge obtained in discipline.

After the seminary, during the phase of participative elaboration and articulation of projects of Social Production of Habitat in the selected cities, a new discipline will be created to give continuity to the mutually enriching dialogue between the practice and the reflection, in the expectation that it comes to guide and to fortify the action.

Prof. Luis de la Mora

Doctor in Sociology by the University of Paris, Sorbonne, France; Graduate in Urbanism and Space Organization by the Institute of Urbanism of Paris; Masters in Sociology by the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium; Masters in Promotion of the Development, Specialist in Planning by the State University of Antwerp, Belgium. Masters in Philosophy by the Gregorian University of Rome. Professor and researcher of the Graduate Program of Urban Development of Pernambuco, General Coordinator of the Connections of Knowledge Program: university dialogues with popular communities; Government Consultant of Angola for re-structuration of politics of social re-insertion, with the support of UNICEF; collaborator of Habitat for Humanity Brazil, member of the General Assembly of HPH Brazil since 2006. E-mail: luis_de_la_mora@hotmail.com

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Habitat for Humanity Brazil participates of the 13rd “Continental Meeting of the Cry of the Excluded” On September 7th, Churches and Social Movements will be listened at the 13rd “Continental Meeting of the Cry of the Excluded”, one of the most powerful voices from the excluded poor. This initiative started in the 90’s as a Church campaign in Brazil and now it is increasingly heard throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the United States. One of the most innovative features of the movement has been to unite diverse organizations with different areas of focus under the same motto: "Work, Justice and Life”. This broad-based union of urban people, peasants and indigenous groups has already managed to mobilize no less than 12 million people. “The September 7th, independence day of Brazil, was chosen as start point of the manifestations all over the country because we believe Brazil is not an independent country yet. Be independent means to practice its sovereignty and to provide education, employment and health of quality for every citizen.” (from the Meeting Project of Recife City by Dom Helder Câmara Forum). This year the theme is "This is not worth a farthing!! We want to participate in the destiny of the nation". So, HFH Brazil desire, in this day, "to think about what is worth, what has value and what is not worth, what doesn’t have any value to the development of a popular project to Brazil”.  The big challenge of this mobilization is to articulate in partnership the plebiscite for the Vale do Rio Doce company auction annulment. In this audience is worth the popular protagonism, the grass-basis groups discussing their problems aiming to find solutions, the happiness for being able to struggle for better days. Habitat for Humanity Brazil will be present in this meeting and we invite our partners and families to be there with us side-by-side. We hope you understand how important is this moment of expression, the time to scream that is not worth, in a fair society, don’t have a decent place to live. For further information, contact us at ivanir@habitatbrasil.org.br.

The International Day of Prayer and Action for Human Habitat Habitat for Humanity Brazil invites you all for celebrating the international day of prayer and action for human habitat, observed every year on the third Sunday in September. We believe this is an opportunity of bringing together more and more people in prayer for those in need of decent shelter and also in advocacy for the elimination of substandard housing. This also shall call attention to this problem, which reaches over than 7,2 million families in our country. The lack of sanitation, water supply and sewer and garbage collection systems, besides illegal properties, are some of the most important issues that a big part of the Brazilian population is facing out. We are offering suggestions to church leaders, Habitat collaborators, served families, volunteers and employees to join us. · Shape the workship service around God´s call to serve one another; · Offer prayers for those in need of shelter; · Meeting to discuss safe and decent habit. Get involved in this prayer chain!

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CEO of Habitat for Humanity Internacional visits Brazil Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity (HFH) was visiting Brazil between 20th and 21st of August. The purpose was to know the national program team members and to see closely one of the projects of community development most succeeded in Latin America - Varjada, which is being implemented in the city of Passira, interior of Pernambuco State. Reckford took advantage of this opportunity to have meetings with some institutional partners of HFH Brazil and to sign cooperation agreements. The CEO of HFH travels with Kip Scheidler, Senior Director CEO Support, and of Torre Nelson, Latin America Vice President, having the support and presence of the National Director of HFH Brazil, Ademar de Oliveira Marques in all moments of his stay. Last August 20th, the group went to Rio de Janeiro city. During the morning, they had a meeting with the members of the National Board of Directors of HFH Brazil. Also were there Marcos Bicudo, President of Amanco in Brazil, Regina Ferreira, Executive Director of the National Forum of Urban Reformation (FNRU) and two representatives of the nonprofit organization World Vision, Sueli Catarina, Responsible for the Assessorship of Transforming Development, and Eduardo Nunes, in charge Director of the organization. In this meeting, Reckford had the chance of speaking about the main points of the strategic plan of HFH, opening, after that, space for a dialogue with the participants on the problematic of the access to decent housing in the country. The closing of this meeting was pointed by the signature of a cooperation term between Habitat for Humanity and World Vision in favor of the integral community development in Brazil including housing solutions. Jonathan Reckford (Habitat) and Eduardo Nunes (World Vision) signed up the term. By the afternoon, the group went to the Latin American Office of UN-Habitat, Program of Human Settlements of United Nations (UN). Reckford signed a cooperation term, this time with this important agency of UN, establishing a partnership in the whole Latin America in favor of the cause. Erik Vittrup, Main Officer in Human Settlements, was signatory with the CEO of HFH. The day was finished with a visit to the energy company El Paso, recognizing the support to the HFH mission in Brazil. Jonathan Reckford with the girls Vitória and Micaeli in the Varjada Community :: Photo - Antonio Henrique At the following day, in Pernambuco State, Jonathan Reckford, Kip Scheidler, Torre Nelson and Ademar Marques went to Varjada community, away 112 km from the capital city Recife. Guided by the Coordinator of the Project, Claudio Braga, the group visited some of the local families and the international representatives of the organization had the chance to understand the dimension and the importance of the social changes in that region, besides the results of the improvement in the daily life of these people. After that, back to Recife, Reckford meet the national team of HFH Brazil in their office. He expressed gratitude for their commitment with the organization. After that, they were given an audience with Humberto Campos, Secretary of Cities of the Government of Pernambuco State, when was firmed a protocol of intentions establishing Habitat shall support the Program “My House” by means its expertise in social housing. This is one of the main programs amongst those included in the housing policies of the state government. The Program foresees the building 20,000 popular units until June of 2008. The day was ended with a visit in the Public Center of Popular and Solidary Economy developed in the communities of Caranguejo and Tabaiares. Djalma Paes, Secretary of Science, Technology and Economical Development of Recife was there to receive the CEO. This was the first time Reckford came to Brazil. "What we have seen in the Habitat actions it is that itworks because there is union between the people, they are mobilized. We know that this is a work that none of us, alone, could develop. I feel a great happiness about the way every body improved and keep improving their lives. To hear these histories, and to share them, help me a lot and makes me feel I am a privileged. In each place in the world I go, the houses seem different, because their materials, the face of the children seem different, in each country, in each place, but I feel the same sensation of community ", he said in the community of Varjada. back to news index