Habitat Guatemala
Cool Facts about Habitat Guatemala:
- Begun in 1979 Guatemala was the first international affiliate outside the US
- 2009, completion of house 30,000; almost 10% of Habitat homes worldwide
- One of the lowest house costs in americas, 2009 cost of $4,200
- 2,000 local volunteers and 200 local committees supporting the work
- Partnerships with organizations work to bring holistic solutions like clean water and medical missions
In order to qualify for a Habitat house, families must:
- Demonstrate need, live in inadequate housing and ineligible for normal loan
- Be able to repay no-interest loan of approximately $45/month for 8-12 years
- Own land with a legal title on which to build their home
- Partner with Habitat in the construction of their home, called "sweat equity"
- Be a family - broadly defined, often single parents or couples with dependents
Facts on Poverty in Guatemala:
Housing deficit is approximately 1.5 million units
Deficit grows by roughly 80,000 units per year
72% of Guatemalans live in rural areas
54.3% of population live in poverty
22.8% of population are in extreme poverty
18.2% of the population does not have electricity
79.4% of homes do not have access to telephone
21.1% of homes do not have plumbing
54.4% do not have sewage in thei homes
99.6% of the impoverished do not have access to higher education
Guatemala has the highest illiteracy rate in Latin America at 30.9%
House Numbers, construction by Habitat for Humanity:
First 20 Years - 5,000 houses
Next 2 Years - 5,000 more
2001 - 10,000 Total Homes
2003 - 15,000 Total Homes
2005 - 20,000 Total Homes
2006 - 22,703 Total Homes
2007 - 25,000 Total Homes
2008 - 28,000 Total Homes
2009 - 30,000 Total Homes
Information from: http://www.habitat.org/intl/lac/86.aspx
Habitat para la Humanidad Guatemala, Av. Las Americas 9-50 Zona 3, Edificio SuperCom Delco, 3er Nivel, Oficina No. 3 Quetzaltenango, 09003, Guatemala, C.A.
Thursday, March 25, 2010, Administrator