Osward Katambe and his wife Eunice are among the many teachers in Malawi who pay a large part of their meager income on rent, leaving them with little money for other necessities. Their salaries as primary school teachers, even combined with their subsistence farming, didn’t allow them to finish the house they wanted to build for them and their three children — until they partnered with Habitat Malawi.
The Katambes received a housing loan from one of Habitat Malawi’s microfinance partners, enabling the family to buy building materials. Habitat provided all the technical construction support they needed, and the Katambes built their home at a pace they could manage.
“The technical advice I received on door-fixing, plastering and flooring from Habitat was very helpful,” Osward says. Adds Eunice, “The money I am saving from paying rent I am now using to pay school fees and buy notebooks for my children.”
