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Next Steps
By Steve Weir, Vice President Asia-Pacific,
Habitat for Humanity
As the leading builder of permanent homes in several
tsunami-affected areas, Habitat for Humanity will continue to work closely with
local governments and non-governmental organizations to avoid competition and
duplication of effort. In collaboration with many long-term partners, we will
expand our reach into communities at risk of being forgotten, those that are not
easily accessible and are outside the media spotlight, where we can contribute
to a long-term development plan.
Many small, single-disaster charities
have come and gone already, having spent their funds in high-visibility urban
areas, inevitably leaving many families un-served and disappointed. A thoughtful,
deliberate collaborative approach that works within community structures is the
best strategy for hope and empowerment where fragile economic and social systems
have collapsed. This is our approach.
Through Habitat resource centers,
we will continue to help families improve their homes, and more. We will also
help many start or rebuild small family-owned construction-related businesses.
Skills training through our centers will help rebuild badly decimated local construction
capacity. Training and assessment for disaster mitigation will improve household
and community ability to withstand disasters and build greater confidence.
Habitat
for Humanity is committed to the long-term elimination of poverty housing in every
community where we work and the tsunami communities are no exception. The next
12 to 24 months will bring a transition back to our regular savings-based, home-improvement
programs and expansion of services beyond house building into services that contribute
to livelihood recovery and social improvements. Infrastructure and economic recovery
of communities will take years to rebuild; rebuilding lives will take generations.
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