Habitat Extends Relationship With Leprosy Mission International In China

Five-year Agreement Strengthens Presence In Southwest

HONG KONG, 31st March 2006: Habitat for Humanity China has entered into a five-year partnership with The Leprosy Mission International, extending a relationship that has already seen many leprosy-affected families in southwestern China to enjoy proper homes.

Building on experience: volunteer builders at Dingworehabilitation village in Guangxi, the first joint project in the province between Habitat and TLMI

The new memorandum of understanding covers a partnership stretching to 2010 and will focus on extending the relationship into the coastal Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region where the two sides launched a joint project last autumn.

The two sides will work on community development, micro-enterprise projects as well as providing housing for leprosy-afflicted families and others with physical disabilities.

Over the period, TLMI may commit an investment of as much as 100,000 (about US175,000) over the five years.

Habitat’s China program advisor Su Bin first contacted TLMI in February 2004. “We secured US32,525 for 36 houses for leprosy-affected people in two rehabilitation villages in Yunnan Province.”

More recently TLMI provided US2,819 for 36 houses renovation in Xipinba rehabilitation village, Jinning county.

In between, last September, Habitat extended its presence in China from Yunnan and Guangdong provinces to Guangxi province. Habit program advisor for Guangxi, Bryan Withall, worked with TLMI on ten houses in Dingwo rehabilitation village, about one hour outside of the provincial capital of Nanning. This was the first build by Habitat for Humanity’s Nanning-based Guangxi Project Office.

This project involved a TLMI investment RMB236,219 (about US 28,598) and was supported by European industrial giant Siemens.

Habitat’s China operations are a branch of Habitat for Humanity International.