The COOPERHAF rural housing cooperative was established in 2001 by the Workers’ Federation of Family-Based Agriculture (FETRAF-SUL/CUT) to address the critical housing needs of very low-income agricultural families in Brazil.
A participatory approach is used to mobilise and organise families and help them build, improve or expand their homes. The project is community led and managed and construction work is carried out by the families themselves through self-build with the help of a mason and COOPERHAF’S technical team. Families are assisted in accessing funding from existing government housing programmes, as well as affordable credit.
The project also focuses on creating sustainable livelihoods through capacity building, forming cooperatives and diversifying agricultural production thereby increasing income generation opportunities and ensuring food security. Originally established in three states of southern Brazil, the project has expanded to cover 12 of the 26 Brazilian states and has worked with over 30,000 low-income families to date.
