Autumn Edition March 2025
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Heng’s journey to a safe and beautiful home
Heng and her family of five from Cambodia lived in a dilapidated hut constructed with old and worn zinc sheets. With no proper doors or locks, their home offered little security or comfort. Struggling to even be able to afford daily meals, Heng had never imagined having a secure and decent home.
Thanks to your generosity, Heng’s world has changed completely. Today, she and her family live in a strong, secure home-one that protects them from the elements and offers a safe place for her children to learn and grow.
Today, their new home has a sturdy structure, a spacious veranda and a proper toilet, vastly improving their daily lives. Heng takes pride in keeping the house clean and enjoys welcoming neighbours into her transformed space. Heng can now lock her doors at night without fear and feels safer than ever before.
“It has doors and windows that I can lock. Unlike my previous home, which lacked locks and left my valuables unprotected, I now feel secure. When my husband goes fishing at night and I’m at home with our little kids, I no longer worry about our safety.”
With newfound stability, Heng now cultivates corn, providing her family with additional income. She also grows colourful flowers around her new home – symbols of the hope and security your support has helped to provide.
Heng grows corn to earn extra income for her family.
Breaking barriers and building a more equitable future with Habitat Women.
empowering women and building sustainability
Your support empowers women to enter the construction industry, breaking down employment barriers, and fostering essential skills for meaningful careers through Habitat Women. Together, we’re working for a more inclusive and sustainable world by aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Gender Equality
Graduates report a significant 88% confidence boost in applying for jobs in the sector, empowering economic independence and an inclusive workforce
Reduced Inequalities
Women from diverse backgrounds are supported and connected to mentors and networks which help them thrive in traditionally male-dominated roles
Sustainable Cities and Communities
Habitat Women are working with housing providers to create healthier and safer living conditions for families through community focused repairs
Good Health and Wellbeing
Maintenance services improve housing conditions and healthier living spaces, contributing to better physical and mental health outcomes in communities served.
Your support is helping Habitat Women to grow, empowering more women to thrive in construction and build a more inclusive, sustainable world.
If you or someone you know might be interested in exploring a career in construction, visit: habitatwomen.org.au
Within minutes of moving in, a young boy eagerly placed his toys on his new bed.
a safe home for two young families
Habitat for Humanity recently transformed a vacant and run down property to provide a safe, affordable home for two young families fleeing domestic violence.
Over six weeks our social enterprise, Habitat Women, provided hands-on training to program participants, with some students volunteering extra time to make sure the home was ready for the families to move in just before Christmas. This marked a big step in the journey towards stability and security for the young families.
The women aged 17 (with an 18 month old child) and mid-20s (with a 7 year old child) were hoping to move into a property together after becoming each other’s support system whilst staying in transitional accommodation.
This project highlights Habitat’s innovative approach to “Meanwhile Use” housing-repurposing vacant properties to provide transitional, affordable homes. Habitat believes partnerships between government, community and private sector are critical to solving Australia’s housing crisis.
Your support helps us scale these solutions, offering more families a safe place to call home. Together, we can turn empty spaces into thriving homes filled with new beginnings.
Key Impact in 2024
11,868 lives transformed through housing, water, sanitation, and disaster resilience programs
2,267 volunteers mobilised across Australia and Asia-Pacific
300 elderly and vulnerable individuals assisted through bushfire preparedness
32 women graduated from the Habitat Women program
Over 136 activity days conducted within our Brush with Kindess program
3,571 homes fully damaged and 6,474 partially affected by the September floods in Nepal
Your Christmas donations assisted 189 families with:
Emergency Shelter Kits
- High-Density Tarps
- Blankets
- Ropes
- Foam
Transitional Shelters
- Galvanized Corrugated Iron sheets
- 22 bags of cement
“The support of 22 bags of cement from Habitat Nepal will be a huge help in restoring and securing my home.” – Tara
President Jimmy Carter’s enduring impact: a lifetime of building homes and hope
Habitat for Humanity joins the world in mourning the death of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. Champions for affordable and decent housing, he and Rosalynn Carter gave their time and leadership to build and improve homes with Habitat around the world. President Carter died peacefully in his home, surrounded by family on December 29, 2024.
‘Jimmy Carter believed that having a safe roof over your head improves health outcomes, academic outcomes and also was an important component to have peace. Peace for the homeowners themselves and for the communities that he was helping with’,
said Nicole Stanmore, Habitat for Humanity Australia’s CEO
The Carters first volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in 1984, subsequently launching the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project, where they volunteered with Habitat annually and supported communities worldwide until 2019. President Carter also served as a member of Habitat’s Board of Directors from 1984-1987.
“I think every human being has within himself or herself a desire to reach out to others and to share some of our blessings with those who are in need” … “I haven’t been on a Habitat project where I wasn’t thrilled and inspired and wept.”
President Jimmy Carter
President and Mrs. Carter worked alongside nearly 104,000 volunteers in 14 countries to build, renovate and repair 4,390 Habitat for Humanity homes. We are eternally grateful for the 40 years of volunteer work and partnership the Carters provided.
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