Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) is anchored on a fundamental vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live. This vision has been the driving force in all of Habitat’s actions and activities and has seen HFHI helping more than 29 million people around the world build or improve the place they call home. To further fulfil this vision, Habitat for Humanity International established the Terwilliger Centre for Innovation in Shelter (Terwilliger Centre) to Build and Expand Inclusive Housing Markets by supporting local firms to innovate and expand client-responsive services and products. The Terwilliger Centre understands that the role of local markets is critical in closing adequate housing gaps among the low-income and incremental market segment. The Terwilliger Centre strives to make markets work more effectively for low-income people in need of decent, affordable housing.

Among the Terwilliger Centre’s efforts over the past five years includes engaging stakeholders in the affordable housing market system to facilitate efforts to drive housing quality up and housing costs down, taking into account social and community aspects of housing. The aim is to stimulate inclusive housing markets while generating expanded benefits to low-income households in a sustainable manner. The thrust of the interventions is the market system development approach that focuses on systemic change aimed at stimulating the low-cost housing market system to innovate and replicate promising practices on a sustainable basis.

Project Overview

Habitat for Humanity is currently implementing a 3-year project on Driving Green Growth in the Construction Sector project; funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE) programme. The project is being implemented in Kenya and co-designed between Habitat, consortium partners, other sector partners and youth working both in formal and informal sections of housing sector. It will apply market systems development approach to facilitate housing firms and relevant stakeholders to link youth to decent green jobs through three interconnected change objectives:

• Create, match and improve 908 green jobs for youth in the construction sector, of which 34% for women
• Increase demand, supply and utilization of green housing products and services
• Increase meaningful participation of women and youth in the construction sector

Purpose and Objectives of the Research

• The project wishes to conduct market research to understand different knowledge, attitudes and perceptions towards green construction products, motivators, and barriers for uptake for products and green jobs. Specific to this project, the research will focus on green construction materials converted from plastic and agriculture waste. The research will also focus on renewable energy products and services targeted to households. The research findings will guide the project partners in developing targeted marketing strategies and address barriers that may hinder uptake of green construction materials and services.

Research Objectives

• Identify the primary market for green construction materials and services
• Understand knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of the primary market toward green construction products, jobs and training
• Identify stakeholders and influencing group for green construction materials and services
• Map stakeholders within the built environment that can be leveraged to influence attitudes, demand and uptake of green materials and services from the primary market
• Identify existing structures that can influence attitudes and perceptions, promote demand and uptake of for green materials and services