Habitat for Humanity calls on corporate assistance on the eve of its Nelson Mandela Day build event.

Cape Town, 18 July 2017– Habitat for Humanity South Africa, in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Foundation, will be hosting its Nelson Mandela International Build Week from 17 to 21 July in Orange Farm, Gauteng. Together with more than 4000 volunteers, the organisation intends to build 67 homes, one for every year of Mandela’s public service.

“South Africa’s urban population is growing at a remarkable rate, while at the same time housing costs continue to increase,” says Habitat for Humanity South Africa national director Patrick Kulati. ”This prevents low-income families from entering the formal housing market.”

Habitat for Humanity South Africa builds not only homes, but communities too. Community members pinpoint the resources they need, while experts in the field focus on finding solutions. “We need the help of corporates to fund community projects from the get-go. This will allow us to strategically allocate the budget at the planning stages, providing communities with the developments they deserve,” says Kulati.

It’s for this reason that the organisation is calling on corporate teams to volunteer their time to help build the homes, and to use their financial resources to assist Habitat in building the community of Orange Farm beyond the build event. Habitat for Humanity South Africa has been involved with the Orange Farm Community since 2008. The current population is estimated to be 1 million – making it one of the largest informal settlements in South Africa. The initial four year engagement focused on building housing with volunteers, as a way to alleviate poverty. Since 2015 the strategy has evolved to include growing strong community-based leadership.

South Africa’s National Development Plan hopes to eliminate poverty by the year 2030 by promoting leadership and partnerships throughout society, among other factors. By helping build new homes, those involved become advocates in action and play a critical role in helping fellow South Africans take vital steps out of poverty. Corporates can use the Habitat for Humanity Build Week as a team-building exercise by getting their employees involved in the building programmes.

Habitat for Humanity South Africa will be celebrating its 21 st birthday at the end of this year. With the assistance of dedicated and loyal volunteers over these last two decades, the organisation has been raising awareness of the right of all people to access to decent shelter and in this way positively impacting communities. “I’ve been a volunteer at Habitat for Humanity South Africa for 14 years and the feeling of making a difference in the lives of others never gets old,” says Liyanda Maseko, Habitat for Humanity SA volunteer.

Mandela Day is held annually on 18 July, Nelson Mandela’s birthday.

For more information about the Build Week or to find out how to get involved, visit www.habitat.org.za.

About Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity South Africa’s vision is a South Africa in which everyone has a decent place to live. Building strength, stability and self-reliance for under-resourced communities through the provision of shelter. Established in 1996, the South African organisation is represented in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. It will be celebrating its ‘coming of age’ 21 st birthday at the end of this year.

In 2013 the strategy of Habitat for Humanity South Africa shifted to building not only homes but entire communities. To bring this to life, Habitat invokes a (P4) approach – People – Public – Private - Partnership which has become the driving force bringing active citizens together with the help of business and government to address the country’s shelter needs. Central to its success is ensuring the community (people) is
at the centre of the partnership in that they know their needs and what they would like to achieve within their community. Through skills and leadership development, community leaders are equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to drive their own development.

For more information, please contact:
ADRIENNE BURKE
Marketing Manager
Habitat for Humanity
021-657- 5640
079-155- 8404
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KARINA VAN DEN HEEVER
Dummett & Co (PR Agency for Habitat for Humanity)
021-418- 2466
084-347- 3358
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