Mr. Vincent Cunningham:

It is a great honour to come before the joint committee and have an opportunity to speak to its members. Habitat for Humanity's vision is of a world in which everyone has a decent place to live. Our work is anchored in the conviction that access to simple, decent housing provides a solid foundation to break the cycle of poverty and create a brighter future for all children. Many members will be familiar with Habitat for Humanity's work in Dublin, including our renovation projects with Dublin City Council. Deputy Eric Byrne attended the dedication ceremony for our houses in Inchicore at which our patron, President Michael D. Higgins, handed over the keys. Constituents of members may also have travelled to our partner countries as part of our international volunteering programme. Members may also be familiar with Irish Aid's support for our orphaned and vulnerable children programme in Zambia. Habitat for Humanity greatly appreciates all the support it receives for these programmes.

The purpose of our presentation is to discuss the reasons it is critical to prioritise housing in an urbanising world. The pace of change in our world is dramatic. Rapid urbanisation is challenging our understanding of poverty and how we work to eliminate it. For the first time in history, more than half of the world's population are living in cities. In the next two decades 95% of urban growth will be in developing countries. It is projected that by 2050, 70% of the world's population will live in urban areas, with the total slum population set to double to 2 billion.

Cities are unprepared to accommodate this growth, resulting in the rapid expansion of slums, forcing families to live in inhumane conditions when their only goal is to earn enough income to build better lives for themselves and their children. Urgent action is needed to reduce the negative effects of urbanisation and ensure cities an become engines of growth and sustainability for all.

Housing is an urgent growing global issue. Housing is more than four walls and a roof. Adequate housing includes sufficient space, security of tenure and access to basic services such as water and sanitation. A safe and secure home provides more than protection from the elements. Studies have shown the positive impact adequate housing has on individuals, on their health, on their education and on their livelihood. Overcrowded rooms, dirt floors, poor ventilation, unhealthy living conditions and doors that do not lock, all take their toll on a family's health. Investment in adequate housing is, therefore, critical to the reduction of poverty in the future.

Despite our changing world, poor housing and slum conditions are not new. Since the industrial revolution, slum conditions have emerged in cities as poor migrants arrived to work in factories. During times of emigration in Irish history, many of our ancestors left Ireland and arrived in the slums of London and New York in search of work and a better life. At the turn of the last century overcrowded and dilapidated housing was rampant in Dublin and other parts of the country. In today's economic climate many cannot access mortgage finance. There is a growing social housing waiting list and there are also too many empty homes. This requires urgent action and we in Habitat are ready to be part of the solution.

Every day in 70 countries around the world local Habitat organisations are working alongside local families and communities to improve their living conditions - building, renovating and repairing their homes. Last year Habitat for Humanity served 124,946 families globally which is equal to helping one family every four minutes. Our habitat colleagues such as Mr. Kebede Abede are shelter experts in their own countries. They understand the challenges and develop innovative sustainable solutions to address their urgent growing need. This includes building and renovating homes but it also includes incremental solutions, microfinance, water and sanitation upgrades.

I wish to introduce the committee to Mr. Kebede Abede, national director of Habitat for Humanity Ethiopia to explain its work there.