'Caprichando a Morada'
Living well is part of human dignity
[KF] The Building and Social Housing Foundation announced the winners of the 2008 cycle of the World Habitat Awards - one from Poland and the other from Brazil,
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[KF] The Building and Social Housing Foundation (BSHF) announced the winners of the 2008 cycle of the World Habitat Awards.
The awards were established in 1985 by the BSHF as part of its contribution to the United Nations International Year of Shelter for the Homeless.
Two awards are given annually to projects from the global North as well as the South, that provide practical and innovative solutions to current housing needs and problems.
Every year an award of £10,000 is presented to each of the two winners at the annual United Nations global celebration of World Habitat Day.
The two winners are:
Building Partnerships to Eradicate Poverty (Poland)
The Barka (meaning lifeboat) organisation was established in 1990 to help the many destitute and homeless people in Poland meet their housing and employment needs after the collapse of the communist system.
Using its philosophy of encouraging mutual self-help, it now provides homes for 750 persons in a variety of community homes, hostels, private flats and one-family houses and through its various housing, education and vocational training programmes has assisted over 50,000 people in the last ten years.
It has established 25 income-generating enterprises to date, as well as restoring two redundant large state farms and pioneering organic agriculture.
Partnership working with local municipalities and businesses has created sustainable employment opportunities and the various activities undertaken by Barka over the last 20 years have had a major influence in facilitating the emergence of civil society and social enterprise in post communist Poland.
Barka is increasing being asked to work in large European cities, helping destitute East European migrant workers, either to return home or settle into their new society.
'Caprichando a Morada': Living well is part of human dignity (Brazil)
The COOPERHAF rural housing cooperative was established in 2001 by the Workers' Federation in Family-Based Agriculture (FETRAF-SUL/CUT) to address the critical housing needs of very low-income agricultural families in Brazil.
A participatory approach is used to mobilise and organise families and help them build, improve or expand their homes.
The project is community led and managed and construction work is carried out by the families themselves through self-build with the help of a mason and COOPERHAF’S technical team. Families are assisted in accessing funding from existing government housing programmes, as well as affordable credit.
The project also focuses on creating sustainable livelihoods through capacity building, forming cooperatives and diversifying agricultural production thereby increasing income generation opportunities and ensuring food security. Originally established in three states of southern Brazil, the project has expanded to cover 12 of the 26 Brazilian states and has worked with over 30,000 low-income families to date.
Further details of the above and of the other 10 finalists can be found at www.worldhabitatawards.org.
World Habitat Awards Winners
As with previous years, the current winners (below) each received £10,000.
Further details - www.worldhabitatawards.org.