World Habitat Day
World Habitat Day is one day of the year which reminds us that we need to rededicate ourselves to a world where everyone has decent place to live and to join our efforts until the right to adequate shelter is recognized as a basic human right.
World Habitat Day was established for the first time by the United Nations General Assembly, with a Resolution in 1985. Ever since then, each first Monday of the month of October is the day in which the world marks the significance of having adequate shelter, as basis for development and prosperity. It is considered that about 1,6 billion people today live in substandard conditions, while each fourth person on the planet lives in conditions that threaten their health, safety, possibilities and prosperity.
Habitat for Humanity Macedonia, as part of Habitat for Humanity International – an organization that seeks to eliminate poverty housing, is regularly supporting World Habitat Day. Since 2005, Habitat for Humanity Macedonia through its programs works intensively on improving the housing conditions for low income families. Through activities in water supply and sanitation, micro financing of home improvements, noninterest loans for legalization of homes, advocacy for housing rights and of course through energy efficiency measures for individual and collective buildings, Habitat for Humanity Macedonia realizes its mission to provide simple, decent and affordable housing for low income families.
“Breaking the poverty cycle is at the core of each our activity. Thus, on the occasion of World Habitat Day, we would like to remind that we have helped almost 6000 families to improve their living conditions. Also, I would like to mention that more than 1200 volunteers from all over the world got involved in the realization of our activities, so this can be considered as a call to the people in our community to get involved, to volunteer and to help their fellow citizens in providing better homes” – said Zoran Kostov, the director of Habitat for Humanity Macedonia.
In the year in which the organization celebrates 10 years since its establishing, HFH Macedonia also announces the start of Habitat’s 3-year global advocacy campaign dedicated to the importance of access to land for shelter. This campaign will result in reforms of the national policies of many countries, bringing benefits for millions of people that currently live in difficult conditions.
