In addition to supporting families with new housing, Habitat for Humanity also provides financial and business management training to support alternative livelihood development. This includes learning about family development plans and how to apply for micro grants. This training supports the families we partner with to become self-reliant.

Small grants are also provided by Habitat to partner families so that they can establish home-based businesses, including livestock raising and home vegetable gardens – which allows families to sell their produce at local markets or by establishing home-based local stores and small eateries. Many of the families we work with also raise chickens, to sell on or to keep. These families express the sense of relief they feel from meeting their family’s needs through this improvement to their livelihood. Families either need the opportunity to start their own business through a micro-rant or would benefit from support to scale up their existing businesses. Most of the families we work alongside express their desire to improve their livelihoods so they can have enough food, clothes and have money spare to help support their children through obtaining an education.