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Humanitarian Disaster Response

Home...What we do overseasHumanitarian Disaster Response

the world has witnessed a sharp increase in the frequency and severity of disasters.

Over the last few decades, the world has witnessed a sharp increase in the frequency and severity of disasters. Unfortunately this trend is set to continue as a result of growing population pressures, unplanned urbanisation, climate change and environmental degradation.

Vulnerable communities in developing countries are disproportionately affected by disasters which leave people impacted even more prone to future shocks. When disasters strike, schools close, livelihoods are destroyed and community infrastructure is damaged. Families living in poorly built, unsafe housing must then also invest time and money to repair or rebuild, depleting their meagre savings and setting them back from moving out of poverty.

It is widely acknowledged that climate change will exacerbate climate induced disasters. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), states that an increase in average temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius will affect sea levels, increase the voracity and occurrence of natural disasters, prolongs drought and rainfall, and put pressure on food and water resources.

When disaster strikes, Habitat is prepared to respond. After a disaster, we provide emergency relief, as well as ongoing recovery and rehabilitation programming. Our work is long term and focuses on building back better so that houses are more resilient to withstand future disasters.

Habitat for Humanity Australia recently worked with the DFAT Australian Humanitarian Partnership’s Disaster Ready program to produce Shelter Emergency Handbooks with disaster response actors across the Pacific. This project spans a four-year period, completed in late 2022. Our key projects took place in Fiji, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands and involved extensive research with a wide variety of local and international stakeholders, along with strong community engagement. The result was the establishment of country specific shelter guidelines to ensure each country is prepared to deliver inclusive and effective shelter response activities following disasters such as climate emergencies.

Our Impact Stories

Stories from overseas

Sumi sits on the floor surrounded by bowls and utensils. She is making dinner.
Sumi’s Story, Finding Community and Purpose in Duaripara, Dhaka
Duaripara, home to approximately 1500 families, is an informal settlement located in Dhaka, Bangladesh.   Subject to issues like overcrowding, limited water and sanitation facilities, inadequate waste management and the ongoing impacts of Climate…
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Two women stand at a local shop. One woman lifts a plastic shopping bag up. The shop sells the bottled water from the water station.
The Transformative Impact of the Phoum Khnor Community Water Station 
In the Preah Vihear province of Cambodia, access to safe drinking water was once a significant challenge. The community of 801 people, 406 of those, women, relied on boiled water, wells, and outside…
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Meet Monir: A Story of Hope and Transformation in Dhaka
The bustling city of Dhaka, Bangladesh, is home to 22.4 million people, many of whom reside in urban slum settlements, facing extreme hardships. In the heart of these challenges, Habitat is making a…
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image is taken from a birds eye perspective. A woman sits on the floor surrounded by bowls.
Meet Sahana: Building Resilience and Community in the Heart of Dhaka 
In the heart of northwest Dhaka, lies Duaripara, one of the largest informal settlements in the region. Here, amidst the maze of narrow alleys and tightly packed homes, a remarkable story of resilience…
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Unlocking the Power of Corporate Volunteering Overseas: Building Homes in Partnership with Families in Need 
In recent years, corporate volunteering has emerged as a powerful tool for both social impact and employee engagement. One particularly impactful form of corporate volunteering is participating in overseas projects like our Global…
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Meet Mrs Thuan
Life has not been kind to Mrs Thuan and her family. She lives in a degraded house in a southern Vietnamese province called Dong Thap, with her two children. Her husband suffered a…
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Habitat for Humanity Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the country on which we work, the peoples of the Eora Nation, and recognise their continuing connection to land, water, and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. We respectfully acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands and waters of Australia. 

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Habitat for Humanity Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the country on which we work, the peoples of the Eora Nation, and recognise their continuing connection to land, water, and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. We respectfully acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands and waters of Australia. 

information

who we are
what we do
additional information

get involved

how you can help
partner with us
social enterprise

We are endorsed by the Australian Taxation Office as a Deductible Gift Recipient with charity status. Donations of $2 or more are tax deductible. Habitat for Humanity is accredited by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), responsible for managing the Australian Government’s development program. Habitat for Humanity Australia receives support through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).

Habitat For Humanity Australia ABN: 29 131 976 004
Habitat for Humanity Australia Overseas Aid Fund ABN: 36 747 459 174
Habitat for Humanity Australia – copyright 2024