The Pacific

The Philippines

Home to 3.5 billion people, the Asia/Pacific region contains some of the most difficult living conditions in the world. The climate ranges from the sub-zero winters of Mongolia to the blistering desert summer of Australia's interior. Thus, protection from the elements remains a challenge many poor people in Asia/Pacific cannot meet on a subsistence farmer's income. Seeking jobs, millions of people migrate to urban areas, and without cash or land to build a house, they often pay exorbitant interest rates to moneylenders for decrepit housing in slum communities.

	Fires, which can spread rapidly among crowded, unstable houses built with poor materials, can be devastating not only to individual families, but to whole communities.
	Unstable flooring in houses built on stilts causes parents to fear that their children will fall through the cracks and disappear into the flood season's dirty water.
	Sometimes the only land available to poor families is land that no one else wants. It often floods, drains poorly, has no access to clean water and smells because of the continual moisture.
	Weak foundations or house supports can collapse during seasonal flooding.
	Human and animal waste and refuse collect in standing water, posing significant health risks.