For the very poor of Tanzania, poverty leads to bad health, and bad health leads to poverty – a vicious downward spiral. This is particularly true of those living with HIV/AIDS. There is some good news in that at least some of the AIDS sufferers in Tanzania are now able to receive the medicines needed to help keep them alive.

But we are finding that some of these people are living in such substandard housing (even by Tanzanian standards) that their health and even their lives are further threatened. Despite the medicine, it is not easy to survive AIDS, tuberculosis and more if you are wet, cold, and sleeping in the mud or dust.

To address this need the Houses for Health program was established to build homes for specially targeted individuals: Those with severe health problems that are further threatened by their seriously substandard living situation. Those who are extremely poor. And especially those whose death would leave behind more orphans.

The houses are typical, very modest, two-room homes that provide a better quality of living through protection from the elements.  Through better housing, people have the promise of better health.

We have learned a lot while building our first nine houses during 2008 and 2009 and we are now building more. The need is great.

Through the Houses for Health project, funds are directed through the Nebraska Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America that administers this program in partnership with Bob Kasworm of Alegent Health.

Houses for Health is able to generate meaningful employment through employing 100% local labor and make a direct injection of cash to the local economy through using 99 percent local materials.

Click here for a downloadable flyer.