Sumi has lived in Duaripara, an informal settlement in northwest Dhaka, Bangladesh, since she was a child. Trained in basic masonry, carpentry skills and first aid, she also learned how to put out fires — a hazard in densely populated communities such as Duaripara. Firefighters have reported delays in responding to fires in informal settlements due to the narrow streets and lack of hydrants or other sources of water to extinguish the fire.

When a fire broke out in March 2023, Sumi and fellow members of the community water, sanitation and hygiene committee or CWC sprang into action. Not only did they help to evacuate people, but they also took the initiative to collect rice, potatoes, and lentils as well as clothing for people affected by the fire. Sumi has helped to lead the kind of community participation and innovative solutions that Habitat for Humanity seeks to scale up through policy and systems change through the newly launched Home Equals global advocacy campaign.

According to Sumi, nobody in the community uses fire extinguishers, which are expensive. She wishes more residents were trained in fire safety. “When a fire breaks out in our community, only a few people come forward to help.”

“From a young age, I was brought up to help other people in need. It’s a matter of conscience,” she says.
As garbage strewn around the narrow streets are a trip hazard for pregnant women, Sumi encourages people in her community to dispose of waste properly. She also teaches them how to turn vegetable and fruit scraps into fertilizer for plants.

In addition, Sumi conducts monthly training sessions for 15 to 20 people to improve hygiene standards, organizes community cleaning once a month, and monitors the state of water and sanitation facilities in her community, along with other CWC members.

Each day, after she is done with household chores, Sumi and other CWC members walk around the community to see how they can help others. Often, Sumi will pick up garbage that clogs the drainage system. She also mediates marital conflicts and advises parents about adolescents’ behavioral changes. “I like that people come to me with their problems. If I can solve the problem, I feel happy for the community and myself.”

She has her own challenges. “I have a water supply problem in my house. When there is no water, the electricity bill suddenly rises so I get water once a week. I am suffering from it, and I feel sad.” She buys filtered water for her family, refilling four times a month and paying a total of 500 taka (almost US$5). This is a more affordable option compared to the 20,000-taka fee for connection to a government water line and paying by the meter according to the amount used. She also grapples with the lack of gas supply. “Sometimes, there is no gas to cook. I have to wake up at 4 a.m. to cook meals for the whole day. The following night, I (have to) cook again; it’s a big pain.”

Despite the challenges, Sumi appreciates that her community is comprised of people from different places. “People in our community are active. They have love and fellowship. They stay together and share each other’s suffering.”

Together with other members of the CWC, Sumi is active in identifying problems such as child labor and child marriage. They also help residents access basic services. “When there is no water in the line, we discuss how to contact WASA (Water Supply and Sewerage Authority) and bring water.” As a committee, the group is heard by the officials at WASA. “So, we don’t go alone because they don’t listen. If we go together, they listen to us and do something.”

“We are trying to get water for everyone. With all the committee members, we are going ahead to make this area good, clean, and safe,” Sumi says.

In Sumi’s house, a narrow staircase leads to a small loft area where she has meals with her daughter Chadni, 17, and her son Jim, 10. “The heart of my home is my son and daughter. When they return home, we have lunch together...I feel good and peaceful,” Sumi says. While she loves staying in Duaripara, she would send her children to a better place to live if she had a choice.

WEST JAVA, Indonesia, Feb. 23, 2023 — In Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country, 22 million households — one in three persons — live in homes with at least one substandard feature such as overcrowding or lack of access to basic services, according to the World Bank. These families included Sani and her husband Ace from West Java province who lacked the financial means to build or improve their homes. As the sole breadwinner, Ace supports his family of five working as a farm hand while Sani tends to their home garden on a small 0.75-acre plot. Every year, the family can earn about 4.5 million Indonesian rupiah (US$290) by selling the produce from their small home garden.

After saving for five years, the couple started improving and upgrading their house incrementally. By paying in instalments, they were able to purchase building materials such as bricks, wood and sand. Three years on, the home improvement progress was slow even though Ace took on another job as a porter earning 50,000 rupiah per day and the family was selling homegrown bananas at 2,000 rupiah per pound. They had to constantly repair the bare brick-and-mortar walls and the roof continued to leak whenever it rained. Meanwhile, their bathroom and laundry area remained unrenovated.

Things began to look up after Sani took out a housing microfinance loan in March 2022 from KOMIDA, or Mitra Dhuafa Savings and Loans Cooperative. One of the largest microfinance institutions in Indonesia, KOMIDA lends exclusively to women, most of whom live in rural areas. In 2017, KOMIDA partnered with Habitat for Humanity’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter and Habitat for Humanity Indonesia to develop viable housing microfinance solutions that aligned with KOMIDA’s social mission. The Terwilliger Center provided advisory support to KOMIDA with a people-centered approach to product development.

The pilot in 2017 was successful with KOMIDA offering the housing microfinance product to 310 families through five branches. In 2021, Habitat’s MicroBuild Fund invested US$1.5 million in KOMIDA — its first disbursement in Indonesia — to help scale the institution’s housing microfinance product which is currently offered in more than 50 branches across the country. As of December 2022, KOMIDA has supported almost 10,400 low-income families with loans to improve their homes, disbursing a total of US$10.3 million.

Despite being a member of KOMIDA for over 13 years, Sani had only borrowed for income-generating activities in the past. After taking out two housing microfinance loans, each about 20 million rupiah, her family was finally able to complete improving and renovating their home. The bare brick walls have a clean finish and coat of paint while the leaky roof has been repaired.

“With this (loan), I was able to repair the roof and the walls that were damaged. Our finished house has a kitchen and bathroom, so there is no need to walk so far out to use the bathroom and washing area,” Sani said.

Minah, another member of KOMIDA, had taken out loans ranging from 500,000 rupiah to 9 million rupiah for her family’s needs. It was only after she took out her first housing microfinance loan from KOMIDA, combined with the proceeds from selling the old house, that her family could start building a new house incrementally. Construction, which began on a plot of land that Minah has inherited from her parents, took over three years to complete.

Minah is thrilled with her new two-bedroom house that comes with a living room and bathroom. There is even outdoor parking space for the family motorbike. “I’m especially grateful that our home has a strong ceiling, so we can live comfortably and safely,” she said. Having improved her family’s living conditions, Minah hopes to start a home business to increase their household income.

Like many low-income households in Indonesia, Nurhayati and her family were hit by the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her husband’s weekly earnings as a security guard decreased to 150,000 Indonesian rupiah, which was one-fifth of what he used to make. To increase the household income, he took on construction jobs earning an additional 600,000 rupiah.

While Nurhayati stays home to take care of her three children aged between 4 and 19, she is determined to improve her family’s living conditions. She had previously purchased a plot of land in West Java province. To build a new home, she decided to apply for a housing microfinance loan from KOMIDA at a neighbor’s recommendation.

With financing including a loan of 10 million rupiah from KOMIDA, she was able to purchase building materials and hire local construction laborers to start building a two-bedroom house in stages. She applied for another 10-million-rupiah loan from KOMIDA to buy more construction materials to complete home construction.

After repaying the housing microfinance loans, Nurhayati wants to borrow again from KOMIDA to have electricity supplied to her new home. She also plans to build a new kitchen. “For me, home is the most important place for a family to gather after a long day outside,” she said.

Nurhayati’s experience reflects the findings of a lean data impact assessment study conducted by KOMIDA and Habitat in 2021. Overall, 93% of housing loan clients reported that their quality of life had improved or greatly improved since receiving the loan. The study also found that 71% of loan clients stated they were more confident of themselves and their abilities while 57% reported increased decision-making power related to household spending.