Nepal

HFH Nepal provides a decent home with access to water and sanitation facilities. Typically, a Habitat house measures about 31 sq. m. in area. It is made with bamboo wall panels on a timber frame finished with cement plaster. Sun-dried bricks are also used. Galvanized iron sheets are used for roofing which Habitat eventually plans to replace with corrugated bamboo roofing sheets. Habitat favors the use of the low-cost and environmentally sustainable bamboo which is especially popular in the east where Habitat has set up a bamboo processing enterprise which produces corrugated bamboo roofing sheets or presses woven bamboo mats into panels for walls. Women from the local community earn income by weaving bamboo into mats for the enterprise. In other areas, Habitat commonly uses cement blocks or bricks and mud.

Each home partner family contributes sweat equity, or their own labor, to build their own house as well as those of others. Families also provide raw materials such as timber, bamboo or mud from their own land to reduce the loan they have to repay. The mortgage loan repayment period is about 30 months and repayment averages US$7 per month.

Habitat rebuilds homes following disasters such as the Koshi flooding in August 2008 and trains families to protect their lives and property against future calamities. To ensure timely and effective response, HFH Nepal has built up a network of suppliers which are ready to provide 1,000 prefabricated bamboo emergency shelters and transitional shelters.