From our Habitat family to our extended family, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
Our year long events and initiatives could not have been successful if it weren’t for your contributions, and for that we say Thank You!
Thankful … and hopeful for the future!
2018 was a challenging year for Habitat Trinidad and Tobago, as it was for the country as a whole and yet we, like our fellow Trinbagonians, met each and every challenge with a positive attitude and a determination to make the best of the situation and rise above our challenges – in short, with a commitment to Build Back Better!
As we enter 2019, we reaffirm our commitment to support the most vulnerable members of society, through our microfinancing initiatives, our community development projects, our housing programme and our local and regional disaster mitigation and recovery plans.
We welcome your support of your time, talent and treasure, as we work together to build strong, stable and self-reliant communities in the Caribbean!
2017 Women Build – Kathy’s House
What a wonderful day! Dozens of women descended on Sangre Grande on October 28th to paint Kathy’s home! You can see the first photos here on our Facebook Page, but here’s a teaser…..
When WOMEN support each other INCREDIBLE THINGS happen!
The High Commissioner took a break to update Kathy and her husband Ellery on the day’s progress.
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BACKGROUND
Women Build 2017 will help our future Homeowner, Kathy, provide a safe, stable and familiar environment for her family to live independently and in security. Led by Her Excellency, Mrs. Carla Hogan Rufelds, High Commissioner of Canada to Trinidad and Tobago, prominent and influential women leaders from every sector will come together on several work days throughout the entire month of October, with the intention of handing over the keys to a finished home for Kathy. With the help of the diplomatic corps, business, government, academia, the arts and civil society, Kathy and her husband will soon move into a safe, decent and stable home. Habitat Trinidad and Tobago is encouraging women leaders to join hearts and hands to make a difference and transmit a positive message of hope and empowerment to the most vulnerable in our society. We hope that our women leaders will add their bit as we transform society through partnerships and solidarity.
Please register for the Women Build here
Please download the Habitat Trinidad-Tobago Volunteer Handbook – Women Build 2017
Shelter Report 2019
Habitat Trinidad and Tobago is pleased to share our latest Annual Report with you.
For the last 22 years, we have empowered many citizens of Trinidad and Tobago to achieve a better quality of life through safe and affordable housing.
Since 1997, we have served 877 families with shelter solutions – new houses, repairs, renovations, completions – and trained 4,951 people. We have supported almost 25,000 people in their quest for
safe, decent, adequate and affordable shelter!
During the past year, we’ve been able to provide 130 shelter solutions, raised TT$5.9m in funding and facilitated 6,028 volunteer hours.
To see all of the highlights and accomplishments from the last year, please click here.
If you have any questions or comments, please share them with contactus@habitat-tt.org.
Click here to make an online donation to support our work. You can also donate through our Republic Bank account #180482534101.
International Volunteer Day 2018 – The Midlothain Football Team
We are celebrating International Volunteer Day #IVD2018 with a tribute to the Midlothian Football Team.
In November 2017 twelve members of Midlothian Walking Football Team visited Trinidad and Tobago. They were on a journey of a lifetime – coming to the Caribbean and working with Habitat for Humanity to assist families on a pathway to permanence.
The Team was headed by Vivian Wallace, the Ageing Well Coordinator, and the members were both men and women. They worked on three Habitat Homes, painting and casting foundations in Central Trinidad and Sangre Grande. They spent time with Strategic Learning & Special Education Institute Limited meeting the children and teaching them the basics of this form of the beautiful game! Walking football is an ideal form of exercise for people with mobility challenges, and is suitable for any age – the youngsters at Strategic were thrilled to be able to score goals against the grownups!
Team members also gave several interviews promoting Walking Football as well as the Global Village concept to the wider population.
After a week on our sister isle, Tobago the team returned home. This was not the end of their journey as they continue to keep in touch with the families and children they met.
Most recently on November 1, 2018, Ms. Wallace and her team presented the Aging Well Programme to the Scottish Parliament. Habitat was highlighted there as they used their trip to demonstrate how the aging population can find purpose in giving back and remain active.
About IVD2018:
Each year, the United Nations designates Dec. 5 as a day for volunteers and organizations to celebrate their shared missions and promote the work in their communities. Habitat for Humanity is joining the United Nations and other organizations around the world on this day to recognize local volunteers and share stories of their impact.
For 2018, International Volunteer Day will recognize volunteers worldwide who contribute to making their communities more resilient against natural disasters, economic stresses and political shocks. The campaign theme will be: Volunteers Build Resilient Communities.
This year’s campaign will highlight the role of women volunteering in their communities and the fact that they represent over 50 percent of volunteers worldwide.
Proman Group announces global partnership with Habitat for Humanity International
CEOs of Proman subsidiaries in Trinidad with representatives of Habitat for Humanity – National Director Jennifer Massiah (front row centre) and Resource Development Officer Carlene Pooran (3rd from right)
Port of Spain, 5 December 2018 – One of the world’s leading petrochemical producers, Proman, and the leading international housing charity, Habitat for Humanity, have today announced a multi-year partnership that will ensure thousands of people have access to safe, decent and affordable housing, as well as support multiple long-term community projects around the world.
In an initial two-year partnership, Proman will be donating US$1.2 million (just over TT$8 million) to support a range of home building, disaster resilience and emergency response projects across mainly Trinidad and Tobago, but also Europe, and the United States. This follows Proman’s donation of TT$1 million in October 2018 to Living Water Community, to assist in relief and recovery efforts following the devastating floods in Trinidad and Tobago.
David Cassidy, Chief Executive of Proman, welcomed the initiative and said: “The partnership with Habitat for Humanity as a whole reaffirms, and strengthens, our deeply held values as a company: to act as long-term partners with all of the communities and in all of the countries, in which we operate. Investing in the sustainable development of our people, our places and the local economy is not only our responsibility but a fundamental part of who we are as Proman. We have always prioritised local content. We always look to the long-term.”
Proman’s local subsidiaries CNC and N2000 are proud to have supported Habitat for Humanity in Trinidad and Tobago since 2012, and today’s announcement builds on their joint achievements. Together, Proman Group and Habitat for Humanity will be focussing on delivering the practical support that makes a real and lasting difference to the lives of those most in need.
Proman Chief Executive David Cassidy and Habitat Trinidad-Tobago National Director Jennifer Massiah in discussion
Throughout the duration of the partnership, Proman’s donation will be complemented by ongoing volunteer and fundraising work by Proman employees, focussing initially on the communities most closely tied to Proman’s operations around the world.
“We are very grateful for partners like Proman and their commitment to deliver practical and long-lasting support to local communities in Trinidad & Tobago, Europe and the United States,” said Torre Nelson, area vice president for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Habitat for Humanity. “Together we can help empower families to achieve the strength, stability and independence they need to build a better life.”
David Cassidy added, “This is an important initiative, and one that we want every member of our team, across the whole of the Proman family of companies, to be involved in. We all, including myself, have a critical role to play in making this partnership with Habitat for Humanity a success. We will look forward to working together to make a positive impact on the communities in which we operate.”
The partnership will officially launch in January 2019.
Habitat for Humanity responds!
Habitat Trinidad and Tobago is working with the national community to help families affected by the October Floods.
HABITAT HOMEOWNERS: Contact 489-4663 by WhatsApp and email construction@habitat-tt.org for assistance with your Habitat house
CORPORATE DONORS: Contact 782-4663 or 742-4663 and email donate@habitat-tt.org
VOLUNTEERS: Contact 398-8389 or email volunteer@habitat-tt.org or contactus@habitat-tt.org
For online donations, please go to https://www.habitat-tt.org/product/donation/
International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2018
International Day for Disaster Reduction began in 1989, after a call by the United Nations General Assembly for a day to promote a global culture of risk-awareness and disaster reduction. Held every 13 October, the day celebrates how people and communities around the world are reducing their exposure to disasters and raising awareness about the importance of reining in the risks that they face. Here in Trinidad and Tobago, Habitat for Humanity has been working steadily in this area, in order to properly prepare our country for unforeseen events.
Our landslide mitigation project in Moriah, Tobago helped homeowners in the sister isle build retaining walls to prevent landslips and protect their homes and community. We also upgraded the Community Centre to a full Emergency Shelter, designed to accommodate the families in the event of a natural or manmade disater. Local and international volunteer teams contributed thousands of hours of labour on this project.
We have trained dozens of participants from the Regional Corporations, TEMA, regional Red Cross Societies, ADRA, key Ministries and NGOS in best practices for humanitarian aid during disasters. The international SPHERE Standards for Humanitarian Response show how communities and individuals can effectively respond to events even with limited resources at their disposal. Photo Gallery: https://goo.gl/AAMTE7
We also train community leaders in the internationally-renowned PASSA (PArticipatory Approach to Safer Shelter Access) system, developed by Habitat for Humanity and the IFRC.
Photo Gallery: https://goo.gl/6xQTZB
And we continue leading the Caribbean Shleter Actors helping the region to recover from hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters. The main project in Dominica, in collaboration with the Luthern World Relief humanitarian organisation, is using Trinbagonian expertise to augment training for local carpenters in building hurricanresilient housing.
To learn more about our work, or to find out how you can help, please follow us on Facebook or Twitter @habitattnt or email contactus@habitat-tt.org
World Habitat Day 2018
More than 30 years ago, the United Nations General Assembly took an important step in promoting the idea that everyone deserves a decent place to live by declaring that the first Monday in October would be World Habitat Day. On Monday, Oct. 1, 2018, Habitat for Humanity Trinidad and Tobago joins with our partners and affiliates around the world to rededicate ourselves to recognizing the basic right of everyone to adequate shelter.
The situation is dire, especially for the families of people with disabilities, the LGBTQ communities and people living with HIV & AIDS. This is why we, at Habitat Trinidad-Tobago, have launched a nationwide survey and petition to change the policies and legislation that make it impossible for the most vulnerable residents to find decent and affordable housing. Throughout October – Habitat Month – we will bring this issue to national attention.
Habitat for Humanity is working to improve access to affordable housing and land tenure for persons with disabilities in Trinidad and Tobago. We ask the Minister of Housing to allow disabled landowners to apply for special assistance for housing, and provide emergency housing for those evicted because of their gender or HIV status. Please share/promote this PETITION LINK: https://chn.ge/2wJIuY7
We are also trying to find out about the experiences of members of vulnerable groups in accessing housing. Please share and promote this SURVEY LINK: https://goo.gl/forms/
Our Advocacy Build is constructing a home for Andy, a Deaf resident of Princes Town; everyone is invited to join us on Saturday 13 October from 9am, when a gathering of prominent and influential leaders from government and the diplomatic corps, business and academia, the arts and civil society to help andy move into a safe, stable and familiar environment where he can live independently.
(Habitat Trinidad-Tobago is working in collaboration with the Caribbean Policy Development (NGO) Centre to improve access to Housing and Land Tenure for Vulnerable Groups – the Disabled, People living with HIV/AIDS and the Gender Communities.)
We ask our supporters to come together as one country to declare that:
• Every one of us deserves the opportunity for a better future.
• A decent place to live can remove barriers to opportunity, health and success that might have been part of a family’s life for years, and in many cases for generations.
• A decent place to live can remove barriers to opportunity, health and success that might have been part of a family’s life for years, and in many cases for generations.
Seventy-five percent of people in the world lack proper documentation for the land on which they live. Further, in Trinidad and Tobago, one in 4 families struggle to meet their rental commitments, often sacrificing good nutrition and medication or health care in order to keep a roof over their heads. Without land, there can be no housing, and housing is the key to stability and opportunity. In 2016, Trinidad and Tobago joined over 150 governments to agree to the New Urban Agenda as a global framework highlighting the need for urban policies to emphasize housing, focus on secure tenure and prioritize community-led development, and we must ensure governments are held accountable to their commitments.
To learn more, visit https://www.habitat-tt.org/wha
Republic Day 2018
Andy’s Story: Everyone has the right to a decent home!
Andy will be the Homeowner for Habitat’s Annual Advocacy Build. This year, Habitat is working in collaboration with the Caribbean Policy Development (NGO) Centre to improve access to Housing and Land Tenure for Vulnerable Groups – the Disabled, People living with HIV/AIDS and the Gender Communities. We invite you to to join leaders of business, academia and government on October 13 at a special build project at Andy’s new home in Princes Town. Andy is deaf, his co-applicant Michael helped with the interview.
Andy was eight years old and Michael was five when they met. Michael’s family opened a bookstore in Princes Town and there was a games arcade next door which Andy frequented. The boys began hanging out together and their friendship was born.
Andy was an only child to his parents; his father was a mason by trade and his mother was a housewife. His home life was challenging, and as his parents passed away he spent more and more time in town at the bookstore. The owners would try to provide meals while he hung out with the staff and tried to help by moving boxes of stock. Later, a neighbour stepped in and assisted him with getting access to the disability grant on which he lives presently.
When asked why he chose to get so intimately involved in Andy’s personal affairs, Michael said that he was approached for asssitance by one of Andy’s relatives – she wanted to get the property deed transferred from his mother’s name. Apparently there were several family members at that time trying to get Andy to sign a document that would make them the owners of the land. Michael said he found that to be wrong and he could not stand by and see that injustice done to someone he had known for almost all his life. The aunt who helped get the deed had intended to build him a small house with her own money; however she fell ill and had to use the money for her own care.
Asked why Habitat Trinidad and Tobago should assist Andy, Michael said that he knows him personally and he knows that he is a good person, he thinks it will be a blessing for him to own his own home especially when none of his relatives thought he could. He is very happy that an organization like Habitat TnT is available to bring hope to those who need it.
Do you believe that everyone deserves a safe, decent and affordable place to call home?
Then sign here! https://chn.ge/2wJIuY7
Have you experienced discrimination in housing because of a disability, your gender or your HIV status?
Then click here! https://goo.gl/forms/zby4iSUHNV7WtNqy2
Independence Day 2018
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!
New Volunteers join the Habitat Family
Thirteen new volunteers attended our first Orientation for the new year, giving up their day off to learn how to put their time, talent and treasure to work with our Homeowners.
They will be assigned to outreach programmes, corporate meetings, in-office support and local or Global Village Builds. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SERVICE!
Southern Sales joins the Habitat Family
Southern Sales & Service Co. Ltd has joined the Habitat family! National Director Jennifer Massiah welcomed Brian Mohammed from the Lease & Rental Division to our San Juan Office, where he presented a cheque for TT$50,000 to contribute to positive change within our national community. Corporate support of this nature is critical to the sustainability of the Habitat programme.
Southern Sales understands that safe and affordable housing is the best way to break the vicious cycle of poverty in our country. An investment in Habitat is not a Band-Aid solution to poverty; it is a gateway to change that lasts for generations. Families that used to depend on social services are now savers and taxpayers and educated consumers, contributing to the economic base of their communities.
#habitatforhumanity #impact #sustainability #socialbusiness
Southern Sales & Service Co. Ltd has joined the Habitat family! National Director Jennifer Massiah welcomed Brian Mohammed from the Lease & Rental Division to our San Juan Office, where he presented a cheque for TT$50,000 to contribute to positive change within our national community.
EVERYONE deserves a safe place to live!
Habitat’s Housing and Land Access Advocacy continues with focus group meetings for the disabled, those living with HIV AIDS and the LGBTQIA communities in Trinidad and Tobago. We are working with NGOs in your community to fight discrimination in accessing public and private housing, in rental, mortgage or informal arrangments.
If you have experienced discrimination, please share your story with us!
Confidential Survey https://goo.gl/forms/u8QkdeAnUlC6JcM93
Call or WhatsApp to book a focus group meeting with your community +18687024663
Email contactus@habitat-tt.org to find out how you can do more!
Annual General Meeting 2018
“We must all learn not only to not fear change, but to embrace it enthusiastically and, perhaps even more important, encourage and drive it” Tony Hsieh
“The list of potential families requiring our services are increasing beyond our ability to address. The donor pool is rapidly declining and charity budgets are being sliced in painful measures. We also note that the volunteer offers are now increasing beyond our ability to engage. The question then is in the light of such a climate, should we shelve our services temporarily? Though tempting this though is our response refuses to be one of a defeatist mentality. Hence, our plans are even more ambitious than before. Rooted in a belief system that says always faith guides our actions and God blesses our endeavor;, we stay resolutely focused on the increasing needs in our society. We wish to remain a beacon of hope to the hopeless and a ray of light in a dimming environment. We continue to make the clarion call to all of our supporters to stick with us for we need you more than ever. To our donors, if you do not support us, can you imagine the many families who would disintegrate into the depths of greater despair?” Jennifer Massiah, National Director.
Habitat Trinidad-Tobago National Director Report FY18
“We were also fortunate this year to gain the support of Her Excellency Paula-Mae Weekes, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, as Patron of Habitat for Humanity Trinidad and Tobago. We are deeply grateful for Her Excellency’s gracious consideration and know that her patronage and support will elevate the cause of Habitat for Humanity Trinidad and Tobago in the national landscape and help with our engagement of civil society and individuals alike.” Derwin Howell, Chairman
Habitat Trinidad-Tobago Chairman Report FY18