Editorial
The Right to a decent and safe home is predominantly subjected to other human rights. Without an adequate habitat that assures the quality of life, the human being is subjected to illnesses, social degradation, harming of the relationship in family and failure of social conviviality.
In accordance with Miloon Khotari, reporter of the Human Rights Commission of the United Nations (UN), approximately 82% of the population of Brazil lives in cities that were unprepared to support a fast urbanization, causing the known “informal settlements” and a high demand for basic social services. The UN foresees that if we consider the current taxes of growth in Brazil, it will be 55 million people living in Brazilian slums until the year 2020.
This issue of the habitation in Brazil has two important allies to help to solve part of this problematic situation: the programs of financing and the partnerships in favor of projects. These two resources appear as catalytic of a process of awareness and social responsibility of the governments, social movements, private initiative and individuals. Therefore, Habitat for Humanity Brazil looks forward to mobilize social actors capable to support the demands from the communities in need and, after doing this, to contribute to the fall of the statistics above.
In this month, I would like to invite you to know about the partnership between Habitat Brazil and Caixa Economica Federal and also about the project “40 days of Solidarity”. Besides, you can read the opinion of the family França Coelho when asked about the experience of being part of one of our organization’s project. Finally, you can follow some of the main news related to habitation issues in Brazil noticed by the most important vehicles of information of the country.
Best Regards,
Ademar de Oliveira Marques
Executive Director
Habitat para a Humanidade Brasi |
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 Interview with a family from Guaraí
Habitat Brazil, established here since 1992, had started its activities in the State of Minas Gerais and today it is present in all the five Brazilian regions. During this period, it has already helped directly 15,000 people,changing lives and transforming realities, as from Maria Aparecida França Coelho, a 37 year-old teacher in a public school, who was benefited by one of Habitat's project in the community of Canaã, in Guaraí city, interior of the State of Tocantins. "Habitat was the best thing that happened in my life!To have an own home is a thing that I consider very important and I don't know if I could have my home without Habitat's aid", says Ms. Coelho.
Ms. Coelho lives since 1998 in her own home with her son, João Marcos, 13 years-old. She had heard about Habitat through the City Hall of Guaraí, when the institution had opened inscriptions to select families who would be benefited by the houses construction project. At that time, Ms. Coelho was paying US$ 60 monthly to rent a small house. Nowaday, she talks about the installment like a bless: "I make sure to first set aside US$ 36 to make my house payment, which I know I can easily do, thanks God. After, I will worry about paying the rest."
The process was long, 2 years of work and qualification courses until Ms. Coelho could finally move to her dreamed home. During this time, Ms. Coelho and her son had been building an every day stronger close contact with their future neighbors and, in each stage of the educational process or while they were working at the construction site, they have being established relationship beyond friendship. "I love my neighbors, I get along with them very well. I don't have a father or a mother, therefore I am closer to my neighbors. My neighbors are my family.", says Ms. Coelho.
The key for Habitat?s projects success is the volunteer labor methodology. The Project of Canaã has catalyzed all efforts: community, catholic and evangelic churches volunteers and local students involved with solidarity share. Until now, Ms. Coelho feels the love and affection that grew up during the 9 months of construction work. "We got a friendship with the groups. I talk with people on streets. Some of them ask if I´m still living there".
Now, Ms. Coelho doesn't need to live in a tiny two-room house with her son. She has a decent, safe and comfortable place to live, accessible to her financial condition and that brings to her family community welfare. "I raise the flag for this cause wherever I am. Whenever I have the opportunity, I talk about Habitat, because having my health and a roof above my head is the best thing that exists."
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 40 Houses in 40 Days of Solidarity
Between February 25 and April 8, Habitat for Humanity is promoting a pioneering initiative in Brazil: the first edition of the project “40 Days of Solidarity”. The project will help 40 families in need to have their own homes through the construction of 40 decent, comfortable and affordable houses during the Lenten season. The selected families live in the periphery of São Leopoldo, which is about 30 minutes away from Porto Alegre, the capital city of Rio Grande do Sul.
The project consists of the mobilization of about 150 international volunteers, mostly Canadian and American youth. They are visiting the country to help in the construction work during Lent. The first brigade, 7 women and 6 men, is proud for having established a trusting relationship with the local people and for having planted the seed of hope in the community.
The inhabitants of Vila Progresso, a village located at São Leopoldo, where the first houses are being built, are used to hearing about promises of volunteers who never arrive to help. They have been a part of failed experiences. However, the community had started to believe in the success of this project and had begun to act in a more proactive way to benefit of each other. “We believed that we would arrive to build the first three of the 40 houses. However, we found that it was much more than these three homes that we built during our time in Brazil”, said Máximo Cisneros, who was one of the leaders of the group and who is also responsible for Community Mobilization at Habitat for Humanity.
The opening ceremony was held in the “Clock” Lutheran Church. Among those attending were families of the Cooperatives Bom Fim and Progresso, Secretary of Social Assistance and Habitation of the City Hall of São Leopoldo City, representatives of the Lutheran Church in Brazil and of the Rede Sinodal de Educação, other church leaders, local volunteers, international brigades and representatives from Habitat Brazil.
The house dedication will be held in April, 07, after the lunch at the construction worksite.
The project is the result of a partnership among Habitat for Humanity, Habitat Brazil, Caixa Econômica Federal, BSW, São Leopoldo City Hall, Cooperatives Bom Fim and Progresso, Thrivent Builds (an alliance between Habitat for Humanity and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans in the United States), “A Voz de Deus” Church and Rede Sinodal de Educação.
To be a volunteer, to support this project or for further information, contact: elvescastilho@habitatbrasil.org.br
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Alliance with Caixa Economica Federal
In July 2005, Habitat for Humanity Brazil signed an agreement with Caixa Economica Federal, the Brazilian government’s main division for social policies. This made it possible to access the fund managed by Caixa. According to the resolution 460/2004, created December 14, 2004; these financial resources are allocated specifically for social housing, working as a subsidy to help low income families pay for their own homes. This subsidy is set aside for families that earn up to 5 times the minimum wage each month. The financial resources given to them are classified for “Construction Material Acquisition” and “House Building.” The amount given depends on the location, as it is different for urban and rural areas. For example: a family with an income of $150 living in one of Brazil’s main cities, can have a $4000 subsidy.
This subsidy is very important to Habitat Brazil, because it allows us to help the families with the lowest incomes in the country, often those in the greatest need. These people can only have access to this kind of credit and these special financial programs through Habitat for Humanity Brazil.
After the signing of this agreement, the first project that benefited from Resolution 460/2004 was the Community of Varjada, located in the interior of the Pernambuco State (Northeast of Brazil). At least 50 families in the agricultural area of the Passira, lived in inadequate conditions, weakened by the lack of proper sanitation and the illness and disease that is bred in those conditions.
Habitat Brazil, using the subsidy approved by CAIXA and in partnership with Citigroup, the Methodist Church, Ação Social do Semi-Árido and the Passira City Hall, is proud of the positive changes that the 50 families are now experiencing in their lives, their behavior and their houses. The community is now more proactive than before, and now has the resources and skills needed to help each other improve the living conditions for the entire community.
In this project, not only were 50 houses built, but Habitat for Humanity Brazil and the community were also able to build 50 rainwater collection tanks to help capture the rainwater during the three months of rainy season, and store it for use during the rest of the year. Now all 50 families own a home with a bathroom, providing them proper sanitation and improving the health of the community; and women are no longer required to walk 4 Km a day to get water for drinking and cooking. None of these quality of life improvements would have been possible without Habitat for Humanity and the access to the Resolution 460 subsidy.
To access the Resolution 460 subsidy, it is necessary to send the project summary and details to the CAIXA Development Managers. The following documents are needed: Technician-Social Work Sheet; Architectural Sheet (including a technical description of the work site); Technological Sheet; Institutional Sheet (must contain documents and legal registrations of the institution); and Beneficiaries Sheet (must contain the declarations of income for analysis of the subsidy equivalent to each selected family). The resources become available after the approval of the project, through the guarantee of a pledge made by Habitat for Humanity Brazil.
Beyond Varjada, new Habitat for Humanity Brazil projects are preparing documents to gain access to the subsidy in Camaçari (Bahia State), Guaraí (Tocantins State), Goiânia (Goiás State) and São Leopoldo (Rio Grande do Sul State). For further information, please contact: jair@habitatbrasil.org.br
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