EN-ID Blog
Sabu Raijua, June 20, 2025 – For the first time since its establishment 28 years ago, Habitat for Humanity Indonesia has expanded its service reach to Sabu Raijua Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province (NTT). This presence marks an important milestone in efforts to improve the quality of housing, sanitation, and clean water, while also promoting community empowerment in a region still facing serious challenges in basic infrastructure.
The program officially began with the Inauguration (Kick Off) of the Sabu Raijua Regency Village Development Program for 2025–2026, held at the Sabu Raijua Regent’s Office Hall on Friday (June 20). The event was attended by the Regent of Sabu Raijua, Krisman B. Riwu Kore, SE., MM., Habitat for Humanity Indonesia National Director, Handoko Ngadiman, who attended online, as well as local government officials, representatives from Habitat Indonesia, and several other stakeholders.
High Housing Backlog and Unfit Homes in NTT
According to 2024 National Socio-Economic Survey (Susenas) data from BPS, Indonesia still faces a housing ownership backlog of 9.9 million units. Meanwhile, East Nusa Tenggara Province ranks second nationally in terms of the number of uninhabitable homes, with over 340,000 units recorded as not meeting standards. Furthermore, 90,535 families in NTT do not yet own their homes.
As reported by Kompas, low public purchasing power is the main cause of this problem. Most affected families fall into decile 1 and decile 2, which are the lowest income groups. Many homes in these areas still have dirt floors, walls made of bamboo or lontar palm fronds, thatched roofs, no electricity, no access to clean water, and no proper bathing, washing, and toilet facilities.
Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration
Seeing these conditions, Habitat for Humanity Indonesia has partnered with the Sabu Raijua Regency Government, donors, and volunteers to implement an initial intervention program in Liae District, an area considered to have very challenging socio-economic conditions.
The targets for 2025 are:
- Construction of 5 new decent homes
- Construction of 6 household toilets
- Construction of 2 toilets for primary schools
- Construction of 8 dug wells for clean water
- Renovation or improvement of 2 village reservoirs
- Training for 20 local construction workers
- PHBS (Clean and Healthy Living Behavior) education for 190 residents
- Water management committee training for 10 village residents
This initiative not only targets physical construction but also focuses on strengthening knowledge capacity and empowering local communities to ensure the program’s long-term sustainability.
“This program is not just about physical development; it is a shared commitment to fighting for a more decent, humane, and dignified life for the people of Sabu Raijua,” emphasized Regent Krisman in his speech.
Hope for Broader Expansion and Collaboration
Although the initial implementation only covers a small part of Liae District, Habitat for Humanity Indonesia expresses an open commitment to expand the program’s reach to other priority areas in Sabu Raijua Regency.
Through continuous coordination with the local government and cross-sector collaboration, Habitat Indonesia encourages active participation from various parties—individuals, communities, companies, and philanthropic institutions—to contribute to building a better future for communities in this underdeveloped region.
Because ultimately, the right to a decent home is not just a basic need, but a crucial foundation for a healthy, productive, and dignified life. And to achieve this, collective effort, solidarity, and concrete action from all levels of society are needed.
(kh/av)
