The document discusses World Habitat Day which is celebrated each year on the first Monday of October. This year's theme is "Many Homes, One Community" which highlights the role of affordable housing in reducing poverty and creating sustainable communities. It also provides statistics on global housing issues and examples of Habitat for Humanity's work in countries like Zambia, Nepal, Cambodia, Haiti, Macedonia, and Ireland to build homes and empower families.

1. 2nd October 2012 Volume 15 No.2
THIS WEEK: ‘MANY HOMES, ONE COMMUNITY’ IS THE THEME OF UNITED NATIONS WORLD HABITAT DAY 2012
BUILDING HOMES,
COMMUNITIES AND HOPE
About
the
project
Habitat for Humanity’s orphaned and
vulnerable children project in Zambia
engages communities to build durable,
healthy, sustainable houses; supports
and encourages caregivers to write
wills, and carries out training on HIV/
AIDS prevention, care and treatment.
For each of the families that have
benefited from this project, decent
housing is the first step in reducing
their vulnerability and providing a
solid foundation on which other critical
services, including healthcare, nutrition
and education, can be built. These
families can stop living day-to-day and
begin to plan for the future. This project
is co-funded by Irish Aid.
1 Dorcas Phiri standing in what is now her new Habitat home © Habitat for Humanity
siblings and the family lived in a makeshift school and hoping for a better life. With
JEANNIE MCCANN AND tent for over three years. Habitat’s help, Dorcas has also gone back
JOANNA BUTCHER, HABITAT
As part of Habitat for Humanity to school as a teaching assistant.
FOR HUMANITY IRELAND CSPE CORE CONCEPTS
Zambia’s Orphaned and Vulnerable “The day we moved into this house we
Dorcas Phiri lives in Zambia. When she Children project, Habitat built Dorcas and couldn’t believe it, we were very happy. • Development
was 16, her father died and her mother her siblings a durable, healthy, secure We couldn’t believe that we now have • Rights and Responsibilities
disappeared. She was forced to leave home of their own. our own house to live in, a very safe and • Human Dignity
school to look after her three younger Now all of Dorcas’ siblings are back in nice house.”
Sport writing in a league of its own

2. World Habitat Day
Every year the United Nations declares current global housing crisis.
the first Monday of October as ‘World The aim of World Habitat Day is to
About Habitat
Habitat Day’. This year, on the 1st focus on shelter. This year’s theme,
October, Habitat for Humanity joins ‘Many Homes, One Community’
the UN and other organisations around highlights the role that affordable
the world to raise awareness, as well housing plays in lifting families out
for Humanity
as educate and mobilise individuals of poverty and creating sustainable
and communities to take action on the communities.
Ireland
Habitat for Humanity Ireland is a engages families and communities
HOUSING IN NUMBERS
• About 1.6 billion people live in • 1 billion people live in urban slums. If no
development organisation which to construct, rehabilitate or preserve substandard housing around the world. urgent action is taken, this will increase to
seeks to bring people together to build homes; advocates for fair and just • Each week, more than 1 million 2 billion by 2030.
homes, communities and hope. housing policies; and provides training people are born in, or move to, cities • Habitat for Humanity has served more
In more than 90 countries around and access to resources to help families in the developing world. than 500,000 families in more than 90
the world, including Ireland, Habitat improve their shelter conditions. • Habitat for Humanity serves a family countries.
every seven minutes.
Volunteer experience
1 High School student, Hugh Sweetman playing with local children
7 Laura Rankin with her new Nepalese friend
teachers was the sixth group to travel The team was split to work on two tedious at times but we made sure we
LAURA RANKIN from The High School. Over the course separate sites, which inevitably led to kept each other smiling!
Last Easter, I was lucky enough to travel of these trips we have raised a combined some friendly competition! It was obvious that by the end of
to Nepal as a member of the 2012 Habitat total of over €250,000 for Habitat for We were building with bamboo, our time there, we had made a huge
for Humanity team from The High School Humanity Ireland. and along with the families and locals we difference to the lives of the family whose
Rathgar. I had never been to a developing constructed a basic four-room home we had built, which is something I
Having seen how much my own family country before. I didn’t know what to house, which would serve the entire am still proud of and will be forever.
had learnt from their trips with Habitat, I expect, having had very little building community. It was such an incredible
knew I couldn’t let this opportunity pass experience; like the rest of the team, I One of the best things about the trip experience, and I hope that many more
me by. wondered how we could possibly build was working with a great team of people. people become involved in projects
Our team of sixteen students and five two houses in ten days, but we did! The work was tough. It was tiring, hot and like this one.
Sport writing in a league of its own

3. President Higgins,
Habitat for
Humanity
Ireland’s Patron
1 In Cambodia, Habitat supported twenty-two families to relocate from a
dumpsite in Phnom Penh to the New Holistic Hope Community. The move provided
residents with a community centre, job opportunities, a community farm, access to
education and a free medical clinic within walking distance of their new homes.
Homeowner Srey Sopha pictured outside foreground are her three sons, (L-R) Pich
her home at the Steung Meanchey Ry Sothyvan (3), Pich Ry Pirun (7) and
dumpsite before she was relocated to a Pich Ry Sophearith (13). © Habitat for
Habitat house in Oudong. Pictured in the Humanity
In the Port-au-Prince community of
Simon-Pelé, the community is working
together to identify priority needs in
the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake.
One of Habitat’s community led
projects is designed to build community
self-confidence, create a platform for
ongoing engagement, and initiate post-
earthquake reconstruction in a way that
builds on existing community strengths.
1 Rolph “Jerry” Joseph (13) and his family live in this new model of Habitat
transitional shelter which they moved into after their home was destroyed in
the 2010 earthquake. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein 1 President Michael D. Higgins, Habitat Ireland’s patron, with Habitat
homeowner Fiona Corcoran. © Habitat for Humanity Ireland/Dylan Vaughan
In Macedonia, Habitat is addressing the In April 2012, The President of Ireland, a small mortgage and their willingness
needs of the Roma community, the most Michael D. Higgins, celebrated with to work onsite.
deprived ethnic group of Europe. two families who are becoming Habitat President Higgins said, “Real
The Roma Housing Rights project homeowners in Dublin. engagement and meaningful
in Macedonia brings together local Habitat partners with Dublin City participation by each and every citizen in
community leaders, local NGOs, and Council to renovate derelict houses building community and strengthening
local and national government officials which are based in areas which have civil society is not just a hollow
to increase awareness among the Roma access to essential services and a strong aspiration. The work undertaken by
of their rights. The project is tied to community support network. This Habitat for Humanity and its partners on
additional housing microfinance projects, initiative enables low income families this project is a visible manifestation of
technical assistance projects and other to become first time homeowners. the kind of transformational change that
services to create access to adequate Families are selected from the Dublin can take place when people mobilise
housing solutions for the Roma. City Council housing lists according to around a positive vision and follow
1 Vasilevo, Macedonia: A boy is tasting water from the new drinking water pump their level of need, their ability to repay through with purposeful action.”
that Habitat Macedonia installed for the residents of Vasilevo. © Habitat for Humanity
ACTION POINTS
• Competition: Write a short blog • Design a poster on the theme, “Many • Sign up to volunteer at the Habitat you would organise both of these
post on the theme of World Homes, One Community” for World for Humanity Ireland national bag events.
Habitat Day, “Many homes, One Habitat Day. pack in Tesco Stores around Ireland
Community”. Email your post to on 28th March 2013. • Invite Habitat to come to speak at
info@habitatireland.ie. Remember • Write social networking updates to your school about how to become
to include your name, age, school explain the poster. Follow Habitat • Come up with two other fundraising involved in their work at home or
and contact telephone number. We Ireland on www.facebook.com/ events to support Habitat for aboard. www.habitatireland.ie
will post the best entries on our HabitatIreland and www.Twitter. Humanity Ireland’s work. Write a
blog: www.HabitatIreland.ie/blog. com/HabitatIreland. short paragraph explaining how
Sport writing in a league of its own

4. 1 Brother and sister Sam (14) and Amanda Norris (18) who help their mother of five, Antoinette, to care for their two siblings with special needs.
Amanda and Sam named
‘Young Carers of the Year’
A brother and sister have been named Carers of the Year Awards 2012.
Young Carers of the Year for their tireless Amanda, who hopes to have a career
work in looking after two younger siblings working with the disabled, said that,
with special needs. despite the hard work and sacrifices
Young Carers are carers under 18 years involved, she wouldn’t change her life.
WRITTEN &
2nd October 2012 Volume 15 No.2
THIS WEEK: ‘MANY HOMES, ONE COMMUNITY’ IS THE THEME OF UNITED NATIONS WORLD HABITAT DAY 2012
of age who provide care to ill or disabled Sam told how he takes special care
RESEARCHED BY: BUILDING HOMES,
relatives in the home. Their work often goes of Adam and gets his younger brother
unrecognised and their own social, health dressed and ready for school and gives
Jeannie McCann, Joanna Butcher, COMMUNITIES AND HOPE
and educational needs are often neglected. him his breakfast every morning. “You’re
Patrick Hunt
While Amanda (19) and Sam Norris kind of used to it when you grow up with
DESIGN: INM Studio
About
(14) from Finglas in Dublin often miss out it,” said the teenager modestly.
WRITE TO US: the
project
on spending time with their friends to help Debbie Brennan, In.Tuition, Habitat for Humanity’s orphaned and
vulnerable children project in Zambia
Irish Independent,
engages communities to build durable,
healthy, sustainable houses; supports
their single mum look after Demi (15) and Gift from Secret Millionaire
and encourages caregivers to write
wills, and carries out training on HIV/
27-32 Talbot Street, Dublin 1.
AIDS prevention, care and treatment.
For each of the families that have
Adam (6), they would not change a thing. The Norris family featured in the RTE
benefited from this project, decent
housing is the first step in reducing
OR PHONE:
their vulnerability and providing a
solid foundation on which other critical
services, including healthcare, nutrition
Demi has the genetic condition Cohen’s TV series ‘The Secret Millionaire’. In and education, can be built. These
families can stop living day-to-day and
Customer Care Line
begin to plan for the future. This project
is co-funded by Irish Aid.
Syndrome and is intellectually disabled an episode broadcast last month, IT 1 Dorcas Phiri standing in what is now her new Habitat home © Habitat for Humanity
at 023 8863850
siblings and the family lived in a makeshift school and hoping for a better life. With
JEANNIE MCCANN AND tent for over three years. Habitat’s help, Dorcas has also gone back
JOANNA BUTCHER, HABITAT
while Adam is autistic. They also have millionaire, Jim Breen, spent time with the
As part of Habitat for Humanity to school as a teaching assistant.
FOR HUMANITY IRELAND CSPE CORE CONCEPTS
Zambia’s Orphaned and Vulnerable “The day we moved into this house we
OR EMAIL US:
Dorcas Phiri lives in Zambia. When she Children project, Habitat built Dorcas and couldn’t believe it, we were very happy. • Development
was 16, her father died and her mother her siblings a durable, healthy, secure We couldn’t believe that we now have • Rights and Responsibilities
another sister, Roisin (7). Norris family, and was so impressed that
disappeared. She was forced to leave home of their own. our own house to live in, a very safe and • Human Dignity
school to look after her three younger Now all of Dorcas’ siblings are back in nice house.”
intuition@independent.ie
Sport writing in a league of its own
Amanda and Sam were honoured last he handed them a cheque for €10,000 to
May at the Tunstall Emergency Response enhance the quality of life for the family. Sport writing in a league of its own
Sport writing in a league of its own
Sport writing in a league of its own