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Newsroom archive

Europe, Middle East and Africa

Media contacts

Habitat for Humanity has extensive knowledge of the housing and shelter sector throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa.

For comments and interviews on today’s housing news, we can connect you with spokespeople across the region.

Please contact:
 

Brian Feagans
Senior Director
International Communications

Phone: +1 404 420 6726
Email: [email protected]

Habitat can also offer detailed information, case studies, and housing research as well as hi-resolution photos to cover regional housing issues or specific problems in a country.

Habitat for Humanity in the news

 
Standard, July 2019: Deal to provide housing fund for low-income earners

Shelter Afrique and the Habitat for Humanity’s Terwilliger Centre for Innovation in Shelter have signed a memorandum of understanding to mobilize affordable home loans targeting low-income and middle-income earners.

 

The Economist, July 2019: Housing microfinance can help poor people build better homes

In Kenya and Uganda, banks and microlenders offer smaller housing loans—a family might borrow for an extra room, or a cement floor. Based on Habitat for Humanity’s evaluations, satisfaction with housing rose, but stress levels and school attendance were unchanged.

 

CNBC Africa, July 2019: City of Ekurhuleni tackles poverty and equality on Mandela Day

In celebration of 10 years of Mandela Day, Habitat discussed a dream of a world where everyone has an equal access to decent shelter in CNBC Africa’s Mandela Day Panel.    

 
Devex, June 2019: Catalyzing the entrepreneurship ecosystem in shelter

Public sector initiatives alone are not sufficient to meet the growing housing deficit. To close the existing housing gap, we need to catalyze markets by providing affordable finance options for low-income market segments and promote innovation and development of affordable construction technologies and materials.

 
Zodiak Malawi, May 2019: Habitat for Humanity in Malawi Responds to Floods

“Unless a nation invests in Build Back Better helping families go back to their displaced areas and build disaster resilient houses, the same families will be affected by the disasters in the coming years,” says Kelvin Kalonga, National Director for Habitat for Humanity Malawi.

 
NTV Kenya, Mar 2019: Youth innovation on affordable housing | Property Show

From green building materials to mobile applications – young people in Kenya have great ideas how to make housing more affordable. Watch the NTV Kenya show where George Mugweru explains how Habitat’s ShelterTech Accelerator helps them to introduce their ideas in housing market. This discussion starts from 8:30 minute. 

 

Al Jazeera, Mar 2019: Inside Skopje, Europe’s most polluted capital city

Every winter, North Macedonia’s capital, Skopje, becomes enveloped in a smog of pollution. Non-eco friendly residential heating - like burning wood or even plastic - is considered one of the chief contributors to the pollution. Residents struggle to stay warm with high energy costs and poor insulation.

 
Devex, Mar 2019: How housing microfinance in Africa can improve quality of life

In sub-Saharan Africa, the poor have very limited access to long-term financing for housing, which is almost invariably limited to commercial banks offering formal, multiyear mortgages. Owning a home is beyond the reach of the vast majority.

 
Pangea Accelerator, 2019: Habitat For Humanity Drives Innovation in Market System by Connecting Startups and Corporates

Wednesday, 20 February 2019 saw thirty early stage and scale-up businesses and twenty-one corporate organisations in Kenya meet in Nairobi to interact and discuss opportunities for collaboration on innovative affordable housing solutions. The event was organized by the ShelterTech Accelerator Program led by Habitat for Humanity and implemented by BDO East Africa in collaboration with Pangea Accelerator.

Latest news

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.

Read more

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.

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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.

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Habitat for Humanity and Employee Foundation of the VKR Group deepen partnership to tackle housing challenges and empower communities

December 03, 2024

Bratislava (December 3, 2024) – Habitat for Humanity International is thrilled to announce the continuation of its collaboration with the Employee Foundation of the VKR Group, a Danish holding and investment company in the building industry, marking a significant milestone in the mission to create affordable housing solutions. Building on their successful partnership since 2022, this alliance expands its impact to support the transformative “Empty Spaces to Homes” initiative, which repurposes vacant buildings into affordable housing for vulnerable populations across Europe.  

Read more

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