Innovative young leaders are reshaping the future of housing. Through funding from the Habitat Youth Solutions grant in the Asia Pacific region, passionate youth are leveraging creativity, technology and volunteerism to advance housing solutions.  

From coastal Bangladesh to urban Nepal, two youth-led initiatives are using data and digital tools to create safer, more resilient communities — each shaped by the realities of local life.  

Digital solutions for disaster-prone communities in Bangladesh 

Fahim Hossain, Md., a younger engineer turned entrepreneur, started his own company, Green Lead. His team is helping to build the resilience of communities without access to adequate housing and are facing an increase in extreme weather events. Their project helps coastal Bangladesh communities prepare and recover from disasters like cyclones and floods.  

Accessible online and offline, their platform maps homes and neighborhoods at risk, flagging vulnerable areas and gaps in access to water and sanitation. Following a severe weather event, families can request repairs from local service providers directly through the app, ensuring faster and more coordinated recovery.  

The grant will help Fahim’s team reach more than 5,000 low-income residents and strengthen partnerships with local governments, nonprofits and nearby communities.

Data tools for safer urban housing in Nepal 

James Shrestha, a young data innovator, and his team at Open Knowledge Nepal are addressing the health and environmental risks that urban residents face. Their app helps identify hidden dangers in the Kathmandu Valley, including flood zones, earthquake risks, unsafe structures and poor air quality.  

Their platform creates risk profiles for homes, businesses, and public spaces, helping people make informed decisions when renting or buying. The project will benefit those most likely to live in unsafe housing, such as migrant workers and low-income families, while also giving local leaders data to improve housing across more than 10,000 properties. 

Young leaders creating lasting change 

These two projects highlight the diversity of our community and the countless young volunteers working alongside them. Together, with their communities, these young leaders are tackling the housing crisis with innovative, people-centered solutions. 

Habitat volunteers serve the mission in many ways, like Mulenga Muleba, board chairperson for Habitat Zambia.  

Since 2019, Mulenga has successfully led efforts to increase funding, recruit new partners, strengthen collaboration across sectors and introduce innovative housing solutions. 

Mulenga has seen firsthand the impact of Habitat’s work. He once visited a mother of four at her new home in Makululu, one of the country’s largest informal settlements. Here, families have partnered with Habitat to build more than 300 homes, and women are building financial literacy through over 500 training groups. “She told me, ‘I am so proud I can now polish the floors of my house,’” Mulenga says. “That house gave her security and dignity and hope for her children. Those are the moments that remind me why we do this work.” 

Among many initiatives, Mulenga has pushed for indoor toilets in new home designs and is working to bring solar power to communities. “When my tenure is up at the board, I want to have laid the foundation for increased funding and sustainable impact,” he says. “After all, once a volunteer with Habitat, always a volunteer with Habitat.”  

Volunteers like Mulenga are key to what we do. When people step forward to give their time, leadership and energy, more families can build safer, stronger futures.