For the third year in a row, women around the world are preparing to grab their tools and hard hats in preparation for Habitat for Humanity’s International Women Build Week (IWBW). Created in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, IWBW places emphasis on the global need for women’s access to safe and affordable housing. Lowe’s has been a Habitat for Humanity partner since 2003, and throughout that partnership has helped improve more than 18,000 Habitat partner families’ living conditions through donations and volunteer hours.
While the global impact of COVID-19 in 2020 was nothing short of disastrous, numbers show pandemic-related challenges disproportionately impacted women and families. And issues surrounding the affordable housing crisis for those women were exacerbated heading into 2021. That’s why Habitat and Lowe’s remain committed to raising awareness for women and their families. To further support women-led households, Lowe’s increased its donation to Habitat’s IWBW to $2.7 million in 2021. That’s up from the company’s $1.9 million donation in 2020. The increase in funding will allow the launch of more than 300 Women Build projects this year and further Lowe’s and Habitat’s goal of providing more safe and affordable housing.
This year, Habitat and Lowe’s are also raising awareness for women who serve as frontline workers in health care and other roles considered to be essential during the pandemic. Habitat for Humanity will be hosting a virtual conversation on March 11 at 11 a.m. ET discussing the pandemic’s impact on women’s employment and the increasing need for safe and affordable housing.
“Lowe’s and Habitat have witnessed the resiliency and transformative impact of women, from serving at the frontline in the fight against the pandemic to showing up on a daily basis as essential workers, and we are committed to helping women and mothers secure safe, affordable housing,” said Janice Dupré, Lowe’s executive vice president, human resources. “In a year full of uncertainty and precautions, we are proud to have broadened the program to impact more families than ever and are grateful for our partners for making it possible.”
Join in on the conversation March 8 – 15 during International Women Build week. Share your story and advocate for safe and affordable housing by using #BuildHer on social media.
