Habitat Updates
Cilegon, August 14, 2025 – Habitat for Humanity Indonesia, together with POSCO and KRAKATAU POSCO, has once again joined hands for the “2025 POSCO 1% Foundation Echo Village” program, held from August 10–14, 2025, in the Ciwandan and Citangkil sub-districts of Cilegon City. A total of 44 participants—comprising 24 POSCO Korea volunteers and 20 staff members from PT Krakatau POSCO—took part in the initiative. This program is part of a long-standing collaboration spanning over a decade between POSCO and Habitat for Humanity, aimed at improving the quality of life for low-income communities.
The 2025 activities focused on building six environmentally friendly homes for low-income families in Kubangsari, Tegal Ratu, and Samangraya. These houses feature eco-brick walls made from recycled plastic waste, rainwater harvesting systems, and septic tanks with soak pits for safe sanitation. The designs meet the Ministry of Public Works and Housing’s standards for decent housing, as well as the Ministry of Health’s healthy home indicators—ensuring structural safety, proper ventilation, natural lighting, and adequate space for family privacy.
Beyond home construction, the program also included school facility renovations, Healthy Home and Building Back Safer (BBS) training for 50 participants, and disaster preparedness initiatives in Samangraya. This involved training 50 members of Urban Disaster Preparedness Team (TSBK) and supporting the community’s application for the official “Disaster-Resilient Urban Village” (KALTANA) status with the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB). Achieving this status would open access to official resources, funding, and support, while empowering residents to better anticipate and respond to future risks.
The program concluded on August 14, 2025, with a key handover ceremony and the presentation of a framed certificate as a symbolic gesture of delivering the house to the beneficiary family. The ceremony was followed by a traditional pencak silat performance by the local community and a dance performance presented by volunteers from Korea.
Read also: Beyond Borders: POSCO and Habitat for Humanity Collaborate to Build a Better Future
Deputy Mayor of Cilegon, Fajar Hadi Prabowo, expressed his appreciation for this collaboration. “We would like to thank POSCO and Habitat for Humanity for the decent housing construction program for the people of Cilegon. This program is align with the government’s initiatives. We hope Cilegon can follow in the footsteps of POSCO and Habitat to build more decent houses for the people of Cilegon,” he said.
Abraham Tulung, General Manager of Resource Development at Habitat for Humanity Indonesia, expressed his gratitude to POSCO, “We deeply appreciate our long-standing partnership with POSCO. Through this collaboration, countless families have experienced real, tangible change in their lives. We hope this partnership continues and inspires more people to join us in building safe and healthy homes.”
The 2025 POSCO 1% Foundation Echo Village program is proof that cross-border collaboration can create meaningful change. With a shared spirit of solidarity and compassion, this initiative has sown optimism for the future of families in Cilegon—turning Habitat for Humanity’s vision of ‘a world where everyone has a decent place to live’ into a reality.
Writer: Syefira Salsabilla
Photo: HFHI/Kevin Herbian
(av-kh)
