Recently, a number of colleagues from across Lloyd’s helped change empty retail spaces into homes for the most vulnerable in our community, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity.
Habitat for Humanity is a charity that seeks to create a world where everyone has a decent place to live. They partner with people in communities all over the world to help them build or improve a place that they can call home.
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Zsofia Korodi, Front of House, Corporate Real Estate
When we arrived, we were tasked with preparing a welcoming space for young people in foster care in Dagenham. This involved putting together wardrobes for three bedrooms, dressing the beds in crisp new sheets and covers and cleaning the shared areas.
The accommodation we were working on was created for the young people who have been in foster care. Once they turn 18, they have to leave their foster homes, so this accommodation is designed to give them a good start in their adult lives.
Beside the space these kids get a starter pack that contains towels, and essentials, and they also get an ensuite for their own privacy.
Linda Miller, Head of Global Sponsorship and Events
The site for our Habitat for Humanity volunteering day was a former mechanics garage which had been shuttered for 7 years following a fire. We joined the team to give a new lease of life to the space to create homes for young people.
Our job for the day was to knock down a wall – attacking the plaster and bricks with a hammer and chisel was a lot of fun, and shovelling the debris was a better work out than most gym classes.
The site managers Keith and Ken kept us highly motivated with a steady stream of tea, biscuits, and encouraging words!
“By the end of the day, it was incredibly satisfying to see an empty shell ready to be built back up for its new residents.”Linda Miller
Vivian Chan, Tax Adviser, Employment and Direct Tax
We had a lot of fun working for a good cause, despite the hard work! Rhonda, Sarah and I were joined by three volunteers from M&G and we all helped to convert an unused retail space into accommodation for young people leaving the care system.
Working as a team, we dismantled a wall, removed and tidied up the space so future volunteers could work on the conversion.
Lauren Restell, Senior Manager, Exposure Management
We had no idea what to expect or what we’d be doing when we turned up, but we were excited to find out! We were tasked with knocking down a brick wall – the whole team mucked in, we got very sweaty (the day after the heatwave!), and filthy but we worked together brilliantly. What a rewarding experience!
"Habitat for Humanity are doing great things supporting those who need it within local communities. We were proud to be a part of their work.”Lauren Restell
Habitat for Humanity is Lloyd’s Charities Trust charity partner.
In 2022, LCT has been supporting a project in Addis Ababa, that supports the community who have suffered severely with flooding events over the last 20 years. The project will build community resilience to protect against flood hazards through sewerage infrastructure installations and improving hygiene practices in highly congested urban areas.
Our support will include improvements to the drainage system that will impact 4,000 households and 20,000 individuals, improve water and sanitation facilities and a flood risk map to understand areas that are particularly vulnerable and help stop future flooding.
Habitat for Humanity works in disaster-affected communities to help people prepare, respond and adapt to disaster while empowering local communities to build back better, creating, disaster-resilient safer homes.
The organisation’s disaster response focuses on a number of areas:
Basic needs such as water, shelter and sanitation become scarce in an emergency, and people’s health, safety, livelihoods and education are threatened. Habitat for Humanity believes that safe, reliable shelter provides the foundation from which all of these things can be restored during the relief and rebuilding process.
Jessica Tamman - Global Community Engagement Manager, Lloyd's
04 Aug 2022
Our community involvement
Building flood resilience
Habitat for Humanity