More than 2,100 Dominicans served by Habitat for Humanity Dominican Republic in 2020

• Despite the pandemic, Habitat for Humanity Dominican Republic helped more than 2,100 Dominicans access healthy housing in 2020.

Despite the economic and operational challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Habitat for Humanity Dominican Republic reached 2,100 Dominicans who gained access to healthy, safe, adequate and affordable housing in 2020, bringing the total number of housing solutions delivered by the non-profit organisation over its history to around 32,000.

Because the NGO successfully adopted new strategies and safe practices to keep helping families in the country, many Dominicans were able to stay in a decent home, reaffirming that housing is the first line of defence against the current pandemic and any natural phenomenon or disaster.

“While this year has brought many challenges and hardships to the communities we serve around the world, I am grateful that Habitat has had the opportunity to serve so many families when they needed it most,” says Jonathan T.M. Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International.

Hábitat Dominicana, in partnership with families, rebuilt, improved and built new homes for Dominicans who lacked the financial resources to secure a decent, healthy home during the pandemic. New homes are built in the country by facilitating access to housing microfinance through partnerships with Banco Ademi, Banco ADOPEM, Banco BHD León, Coopaspire and Vision Fund.

We also built homes for low-income people in different parts of the country, such as Greater Santo Domingo and Samaná, and in Azua, in partnership with Nature Power Foundation, within the country’s first eco-sustainable community.

Comments from its director

“Adding up everyone served, the organisation’s impact rises to around 160,000 Dominicans reached with housing solutions since we began our work in the country in 1986. We are grateful for everyone’s efforts to make this possible: our individual and corporate donors, partners, employees, companies and volunteers who supported us before the pandemic. We are also relying on partnerships to keep working in 2021 towards a Dominican Republic where everyone has a decent, healthy place to live,” says Cesarina Fabián, national director of Hábitat Dominicana.

Despite the lockdowns the world has experienced due to the pandemic, the organisation did not forget the most vulnerable, and through its Housing, Communities + Hope campaign it distributed hygiene kits, carried out home repairs and provided resilience kits to mitigate risks ahead of the hurricane season, so that families vulnerable to the virus could protect themselves inside their homes.

There are many families to help and we want to reach them, so Habitat for Humanity Dominican Republic invites people to get involved and donate through habitatdominicana.org

Who is Habitat for Humanity Dominican Republic?

Habitat for Humanity is a global non-profit, non-governmental organisation working to ensure everyone has a decent place to live, through programmes focused on housing microfinance, minimising risk and increasing disaster response.

Habitat empowers families to build strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter. Since it began its work in 1986, the organisation has delivered more than 32,000 housing solutions and impacted around 160,000 people. we empower through housing.