Mahila Housing Trust Information

Mahila Housing Trust (MHT) visions for dignified house, dignified work, dignified life of poor women in informal sector. It organizes and empowers women in poor communities to improve and upgrade their habitat. Through its grassroots programs in habitat development, climate change resilience, and participatory governance, MHT empowers women to exercise their rights and uplift living conditions for their families and neighbours. Founded in 1994, MHT currently works in 34 cities across 8 states in India and collaborating with partners in Bangladesh and Nepal. It is a leading advocacy organization with expertise in policy development, grassroots organizing, community development and technical knowhow about construction. Across India, over the last 25 years, MHT has impacted 2 million lives directly. MHT has made a significant impact in improving the lives of urban poor across 1034 slum settlements by 983 Community Action Groups (CAGs) consisting of 11 members each who are grass-root women leaders-VIKASINIS (a local feminine connotation meaning ‘carriers of development’). MHT thus possess a strong social capital of grass-root leaders serving as amplifiers in the slum communities. Key work areas of MHT include WaSH, Housing & Land Rights, Energy, Climate Resilience, Microfinance, Participatory Governance & Planning, Skill training for Construction workers. MHT operates as a Not-For-Profit organization along with Credit Co-operatives to realize its vision. MHT illustrates how poor women, technologists, engineers and architects, policy makers can come together to bring sustainable development. Focusing on women-led development, MHT contributes towards ten Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) namely, SDG 1, SDG3, SDG 4, SDG5, SDG 6, SDG 7, SDG 10, SDG 11, SDG 13, SDG 17.