slums built on a hill

Build Solid Ground

funded by the European Union

From 2017 to 2021, Habitat for Humanity led a consortium of 14 partners from seven European countries (Bulgaria, Hungary, Ireland, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and the United Kingdom) to engage young people and Europeans citizens in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). More than 18 million people have seen or heard our messages and we have reached more than 66 million people through our social media communications.

Our Build Solid Ground project was funded by the European Union. We focused on raising awareness in these areas: land rights, gender equality and slum upgrading. And worked to achieve three objectives:

  1. Increase Europeans’ awareness about housing and development issues.

  2. Enhance critical understanding of housing and development topics through formal and informal learning.

  3. Increase engagement in global development opportunities.

Project-overview

Project overview.

We held 215 creative events, including our amazing exhibition and IKEA store installation, It all starts at home. More than 53,000 Europeans attended learning events. We have also developed online learning resources:

Project partners created different materials and engaged journalists to cover development and housing issues in their region and globally.

Build Solid Ground also offered opportunities to get involved in international development through volunteering trips in different countries around the world: Jordan, Malawi, South Africa and Nepal. Nearly 2000 people took part in these volunteering trips.

compendium

Compendium of Best Practices for Housing in Africa.

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Logos: Habitat for Humanity, Solid Ground, European Union

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Home Sapiens podcast

A new podcast series takes listeners on a housing journey around the world.  People face many challenges in their lives: lack of drinking water, gender inequality, and harsh living conditions. However, one thing stays the same - everyone needs a place to call home. 

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Building Solid Ground

Habitat’s Compendium of Best Practices for Housing in Africa, produced by the EU-funded Build Solid Ground project, documents positive stories of change in the areas of adequate and affordable housing, including basic services, land tenure and slum upgrading.

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Nominated for Campaign of the Year

Our photo exhibition It All Starts at Home: Women and their Fight for Shelter has been shortlisted for the Digital Communications Awards in Europe in the category NGO Campaign of the Year.

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It all starts at home

Life journeys of women all around the world start at home. Some are more challenging than others, but all the women share an unbreakable will to live in decent conditions. Discover their stories. 

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Housing loans for all

Let’s #ThinkTwice why housing loans remain a privilege for the few. Watch our debate live on Facebook @HabitatEMEA this Wednesday 19 June at 1 pm CET. Find out how housing microfinance addresses inequalities.

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Life-changing days in Lebanon

“Even during my short time in Lebanon, I was able to witness households transform into more liveable homes.” Habitat for Humanity’s volunteer Catarina is reflecting on her time spent in Lebanon.

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She owns - we prosper

Allowing women in Africa to own land and houses would help reduce homelessness and slum area growth. They have raised their voices about it in Brussels during the European Development Days.

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Campaigning for sustainable cities

May 21, 2018

We are launching a new project funded by the European Union: Build Solid Ground. It will inspire city authorities, governments and citizens to work together to build sustainable and inclusive cities.

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Cities for everyone

Cities are being transformed by digital technologies, smart applications, robots or driverless cars. But can smart technology also tackle mass urbanization and overcrowding?

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Discussion about urban development

On 23 May 2018, at the panel discussion Urban Development - Building Cities for All, we will talk about the impact of mass urbanization on cities, the importance of intelligent urban planning and innovative housing solutions.

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About African cities

According to Mathabo Makuta, the international aid for Africa is mainly targeting rural areas. Since a growing number of people are migrating to cities, we should shift our focus onto the urban issues. 

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Campaigning for sustainable cities

May 21, 2018

We are launching a new project funded by the European Union: Build Solid Ground. It will inspire city authorities, governments and citizens to work together to build sustainable and inclusive cities.

Read more

Cities for everyone

Cities are being transformed by digital technologies, smart applications, robots or driverless cars. But can smart technology also tackle mass urbanization and overcrowding?

Read more