Habitat Zambia

Category: Housing

  • Home Equals Campaign

    Home Equals Campaign

    Zambia is a fast-developing lower middle-income country with an estimated population of 19,610,769 people and a growth rate of 3.4 per cent. The country has one of the highest urbanization rates in Sub-Saharan Africa pegged at 4.23% that has offset the proliferation and expansion of informal settlements that are home to 70% of the urban population.

    Habitat for Humanity Zambia is therefore advocating for mutually reinforcing People Public Private Partnerships in holistically addressing the plight of informal settlement dwellers through the implementation of just policies, participatory upgrading initiatives and commensurate national budgetary allocations in line with national polices, national development plans and the far-reaching Sustainable Development Goals.

    Challenges faced by informal settlements in Zambia

    • Homes are built from poor construction materials such as mud and unprofessional construction techniques thus are susceptible to structural failure especially during the rainy season leaving some households literally homeless.
    • Informal settlements generally have inadequate land security of tenure thus increasing the risk of involuntary displacements and evictions.
    • Informal settlements have inadequate Water, Sanitation, Hygiene (WASH) and solid waste collection thereby increasing the risk of preventable waterborne diseases.
    • Informal settlements have inadequate energy sources thus the dependance on unsustainable sources such as firewood and charcoal.
    • Informal settlement dwellers to a greater extent do not have access to affordable financial products from Financial Service Providers or Microfinance Institutions to help them address their housing and livelihood needs therefore have limited capacities to invest in sustainable housing and essential basic services.


    Why Home Equals is important in Zambia

    • Home Equals will help to catalyze government’s efforts to implement the National Housing Policy (2020) and National Lands Policy (2021) particularly in informal settlements.
    • Home Equals will provide transdisciplinary dialogue platforms with informal settlement communities at the center to review the implementation of policies, national development plans and the SDGs and lobby for increased budgetary allocations and timely disbursements for efficient and effective service delivery.
    • Home Equals will amplify the voices of informal settlement dwellers in civic engagement and enhance social accountability.

    Policy solutions

    Empowered Participation

    Reliable and Sustainable Basic Services

    Security of Tenure

    Climate Resilience

  • Africa Housing Forum 2022

    Africa Housing Forum 2022

    https://africahousingforum.org/

    Apply for the Innovation Awards 2022 here: https://lnkd.in/eguDfFa5
    Within the framework of the Africa Housing Forum, a competition—called the Innovation Awards— is being organized to promote and celebrate innovative housing solutions that can improve access to decent, affordable, and disaster-resilient shelter.
    The deadline for submission is March 31, 2022.

    What you need to know about the Africa Housing Forum

    The first Africa Housing Forum is rapidly approaching, and we can’t wait to kick off the discussions on the future of African cities. This hybrid event will take place both in person at the Safari Park Hotel and virtually 12 – 14 May.  www.africahousingforum.org

    Image: https://www.dropbox.com/s/r77m8uznno7z7x0/websitelaunch3-02.png?dl=0

    There have been many takeaways from the COVID-19 pandemic. But one of the most important is that it’s vital for citizens to have access to safe, secure, and adequate housing during a global health crisis. Despite barriers, gaps, and exclusions to decent shelter existing before the pandemic, it’s worsened, particularly in Africa.

    The Centre for Accordable Housing Finance Africa estimates that less than 15% of the country’s urban population can’t afford to purchase developer-built homes. There are also surrounding mortgage finance systems limiting access to the necessary funding.

    The Africa Housing Forum, hosted by Habitat for Humanity International in collaboration with partner organizations and institutions, will provide a setting for housing professionals, stakeholders, and local and central authorities to come together.

    The forum will be a venue for collaboration and sharing of ideas, experiences, and lessons on solutions to address housing ecosystem issues in the African region.

    Fostering inclusivity and resilience in housing in Africa

    The theme for the Africa Housing Forum is fostering inclusivity in housing in Africa. It emphasizes the urgency needed to build adequate, affordable, and inclusive shelters that meet the demand of the region. It’s estimated 238 million people are currently in slums or substandard living conditions.

    There is an opportunity to place housing at the center of economic recovery. Inclusive housing strategies can trigger multiple effects, including financial growth. At the same time, it can contribute to safety, security and generate employment opportunities for citizens.

    The goals of the Africa Housing Forum

    The housing forum’s objective is to promote innovation, share promising ideas, and enable connections and collaboration. The hope is to improve policies and practical solutions that increase access to safe, decent, and affordable housing. For Africa, there are additional objectives aimed at addressing this situation. Some of the most critical include:

    • Build coalitions that can influence market approaches and policy in favor of affordable and sustainable housing in Africa
    • Enable the ability to scale low-cost, affordable housing for socio-economic segments in the African region.
    • Recognize and act on the importance of housing as a driver of inclusive economic growth, resilience, and sustainability in human settlements.
    • Promote, celebrate and reward innovative and high impact affordable housing initiatives in the African region

    The Africa Housing Innovation Awards

    The Innovation Awards will also play a significant role in the event during the Africa Housing Forum. It is designed to promote and celebrate innovative housing solutions that can improve access to decent, affordable, and disaster-resilient shelter. There are three categories that participants can enter.

    Best Practices

    This category relates to practices that originate from public or public-private partnerships that contribute to the improvement of communities and settlements. These also seek to increase access to affordable housing for disadvantaged citizens.

    Public Policies

    This category targets public policies across all levels of government. It must help reduce the housing deficit while considering the specific needs of minorities, vulnerable, and marginalized populations.

    ShelterTech

    This category focuses on technology innovations. They can be products or services that provide practical solutions to affordable housing challenges. These innovations must also allow for it to be commercially scaled and replicated to increase community impact.

    The winners from each category will win a cash prize of $US5,000.00 and will be receiving additional visibility from Habitat for Humanity and its partners.

    How to enter

    Applications can be filled out on the African Housing Forum website. Please read the terms and conditions before entering to ensure your eligibility. Applications will close on March 31.

    How to attend the Africa Housing Forum and other ways to participate

    The first-ever Africa Housing Forum will be held at the Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, from May 12 to 14. You can attend the event in person or virtually.

    Exhibition opportunities are also available.

    Registration is complimentary for all participants, for a limited time and with limited space for in-person participation. Do you want to secure your spot? Head over to http://www.africahousingforum.org now to reserve your space or to contact us for more information.