Photo: Mother and daughter reading a book together, Uganda

Stories

Habitat for Humanity Europe, Middle East and Africa

The latest housing updates

from Habitat for Humanity

Housing at the heart of urban climate action: Highlights from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Climate Change and Cities Workshop

Cities across the Global South are on the frontline of climate impacts, yet the needs and voices of communities in informal settlements are often overlooked in climate research, policy responses, and financing. This gap was a central theme at the recent IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Special Report on Climate Change and Cities (SRCities) workshop, held on the sidelines of the Africa Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN).

Can Housing Justice Advance Reparations for Africans and People of African Descent?

At this year’s 38th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, leaders rallied around a bold and timely theme: “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations.” While reparations are often viewed through a financial lens, the summit emphasized the need for deeper structural change - addressing inequalities that continue to hold communities back.One of those inequalities? Housing.

Bringing Housing to the Spotlight: Unlocking the Potential of Housing Education Content

Housing is more than bricks and mortar – Home equals dignity, safety and opportunity. Yet housing education content remains underrepresented and relatively new to mainstream media. To change that, Habitat for Humanity’s Terwilliger Centre for Innovation in Shelter (TCIS) recently hosted a dynamic housing content pitching roundtable. The event brought together diverse stakeholders from media, government, NGOs, private and public sectors to explore how media-based interventions can bridge critical information and knowledge gaps within the housing ecosystem.

Photo: a women and two children from Zambia sitting on stairs in front of their house

Africa

In Africa we empower low-income people to build a better life for themselves and their children.

Learn more

Inside a flat in Lebanon - two girls and their mother reading a book together

The Middle East

Our mission in the Middle East is to build a safe and stable environment where families and communities can thrive.

Learn more

Europe

More and more people in Europe face problems to find a decent place to live. We help to make homes affordable.

Learn more

Press releases

Habitat for Humanity in Ukraine and Derzhmolodzhytlo Join Forces to Boost Housing Access for War-Affected Ukrainians

March 04, 2025

Kyiv, Ukraine (March 4, 2025) – The State Specialized Financial Institution “State Fund for Assistance to Youth Housing Construction” (Derzhmolodzhytlo) in Ukraine and Habitat for Humanity in Ukraine signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote sustainable and affordable housing finance options for vulnerable people affected by the war in Ukraine.

Building Homes and Hope: Three Years of Resilience in Ukraine

February 23, 2025

The full-scale war which started in February 2022 has left scars on Ukraine, not only on the land but in the hearts of millions. Streets once filled with the laughter of children now stand in silence, overshadowed by the rubble of destroyed homes. What was once a personal tragedy for some has become a national housing crisis – the largest since Ukraine’s independence – with millions of people displaced and forced to seek shelter in overcrowded apartments or temporary accommodation, often relying on the generosity of strangers.

Turning Empty Spaces into Affordable, Sustainable Homes

January 29, 2025

The housing crisis and environmental sustainability are two of the most pressing challenges of our time. But what if we could address both simultaneously? That’s the bold vision behind Empty Spaces to Homes project, an innovative initiative launched in January 2024. Led by Habitat for Humanity International and funded by the Laudes Foundation, this initiative is transforming vacant and underutilized spaces in Poland, Great Briatin, Hungary, and Croatia into affordable, energy-efficient homes.

Habitat for Humanity International and wienerberger Extend Over Decade-Long Partnership to Build Brighter Futures

January 15, 2025

Bratislava (January 15, 2025) – Habitat for Humanity International is delighted to announce the continuation of its long-standing partnership with wienerberger, one of the leading providers of innovative and ecological building materials and infrastructure solutions. This marks the fifth renewal of a three-year collaboration, extending the relationship into 2025–2027. Since its inception in 2012, the partnership has grown to positively impact thousands of families, creating safer and more energy-efficient homes across Europe and North America.

2023
2022
2021
2020
All stories

From Gaza to Romania: A story of strength and hope

“We were waiting for death,” says Asma, a 23-year-old nursing school graduate and the daughter of Khaled and Daniela. Reflecting on the past month in Gaza, she recounts the experiences of her family. Her father, a 60-year-old mechanical engineer, and her mother, a 54-year-old born and raised in Brașov, Romania, were part of the first group of evacuees from the Gaza Strip to arrive in Romania on November 8. Their large, close-knit family of 13 includes their 6-month-old granddaughter Hanan, whose name means compassion and affection.

What is energy poverty?

Energy powers communities. Healthcare workers and teachers depend on energy to heal and educate their communities. Energy keeps homes warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

Build better lives

On the 29th August 2023, ahead of the second EPBD trilogue under the Spanish Council Presidency, 67 civil society organisations, social, health and environmental NGOs, trade unions and youth movements across Europe have signed onto a joint statement calling on their elected representatives to deliver an ambitious and socially just EU Buildings Directive (EPBD) before the end of the year.

Water is life

In Zambia, many families are challenged every day to survive. Mathabo Makuta, national director of Habitat for Humanity Zambia, discusses problems with access to clean water and water borne diseases.

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.

Does the right to housing exist?

Episode 1 welcomes listeners to the world of housing. Architect Esben Neander Kristensen, Director at Gehl, explains the difference between home and housing, discusses the right to housing, and provides insights into how the COVID-19 pandemic changed our perception of home. This episode opens the first season of Home Sapiens.

Habitat CEO: Coronavirus pandemic calls for a world where we care for each other

In recent days and weeks, a wave of closures, cancellations and postponements has unfurled as the COVID-19 pandemic has emerged. Those decisions — taken individually, totaled in the aggregate — have been stunning acts of solidarity, expressions of concern and collective responsibility for the health and well-being of our communities and our neighbors.

WUF 2020 Habitat for Humanity International

Sharing our expertise at the UN’s 10th World Urban Forum

With countries around the world continuing to face rapid and large-scale urbanization, Habitat for Humanity is honoured to once again share its insights with global leaders on how to ensure cities and human settlements grow in ways that are inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

Global Education Toolkit

Our Global Education Toolkit is an online educational resource that shares knowledge and practical educational tools on housing, land rights and sustainable urban development. Find out more.

Housing at the heart of urban climate action: Highlights from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Climate Change and Cities Workshop

Stories

Habitat for Humanity Europe, Middle East and Africa

The latest housing updates

from Habitat for Humanity

Stories from Europe, the Middle East and Africa

Press releases

All stories