Did you know?
Guatemala is considered a highly vulnerable country where extreme weather events have intensified in recent decades.
The population groups that are considered the most vulnerable to natural disasters are children, women and indigenous people, as well as populations in marginal urban areas. This population is also the one that suffers from the housing deficit in the country, which indicates that 1 in 4 families in Guatemala live in conditions that do not comply with minimum conditions of safety, hygiene and habitability.
Therefore, taking preventive and mitigating actions against this phenomenon should be a priority for Guatemalan society.
Why was the forum created?
According to studies by the National Association of Home Builders – ANACOVI, the total housing deficit (observing the ECLAC methodology, which includes the lack of basic services), in Guatemala amounts to 2,237,957 million homes with some deficiency in minimum conditions of habitability. Likewise, the XI National Population Census and VII Housing Census, carried out by the National Institute of Statistics – INE, in 2018, shows that, of the 3,179,595 dwellings censused, 843,958 have dirt floors (27%… 1 out of every 4 homes in our country).
Undoubtedly, dirt floors and inadequate housing are a primary indicator that limits development in our population, puts health at risk, leading to gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases, due to the amount of pathogens that can harbor, and, which are harmful especially for children.
The National Housing Forum was created to provide a space for the presentation and discussion of housing issues, and thus generate policies and instruments for access to decent housing.
What do we want to accomplish with the forum?
The XVI National Social Housing Forum led by Habitat for Humanity Guatemala is an event of national relevance that aims to achieve the following objectives:
Create spaces for dialogue for the presentation and discussion of the various housing problems and the housing shortage in order to generate interest in public opinion and different actors.
Raise awareness and educate participants on the importance of prioritizing access to resilient housing in the context of Guatemala’s vulnerable position in the face of natural disasters and climate change.
Influence the positions of government and the private sector (specifically construction) towards the establishment of policies and actions that favor access to resilient housing for the most vulnerable sectors of the population.
Why was the forum created?
Why be part of the XV National Forum?
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