A foreign company based in the United Arab Emirates has announced plans to build free houses targeting thousands of vulnerable families in Kenya.
The property developer Arada, based in Sharjah, UAE, partnered with the global humanitarian organisation The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF) and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to set up the homes targeting 2,000 refugees.
Arada's houses will be constructed in the Kalobeyi Settlement in the Northern region of Kenya in the month of Ramadhan.
The new programme, dubbed Home for a Home, is part of the luxury real estate project the company launched in Masaar Community, UAE.
Arada is expected to construct 4,000 villas in the community that would be delivered in the first quarter of 2023.
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UNHCR, which oversees the project in Kenya will design the houses.
“This cooperation is a most significant and distinguished humanitarian initiative, through which sustainable housing and clean water will be provided to families who are among the neediest and suffering in the world.
"We are pleased with this partnership with the UNHCR, which will invest in humanitarian initiatives and projects that will have a positive impact on the lives of refugees in Kenya, mirroring the humanitarian values and principles of the UAE community including all its citizens and residents in order to help refugees and those in need around the world," stated Arada Chairman Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi.
As a first-of-its-kind project, new houses will be constructed in Kenya for every villa sold in the Masaar Community during the month of Ramadhan.
Buyers will be allocated a plot in the settlement scheme to build a house for the refugees. They will also receive periodic updates on how the project is progressing.
The two partners noted that investing in the area's water supply to ensure that 43,000 people including the refugees as well as the community receive clean water is part of their project.
Muslims in Kenya will celebrate the Holy month of Ramadhan from April 2, 2022, to May 2.
