Policy and Partnerships: Scaling Housing Solutions Across Asia-Pacific

S01E02 Policy and Partnerships: Scaling Housing Solutions Across Asia-Pacific In disaster-prone, rapidly urbanizing Asia-Pacific, building alone cannot fix a broken housing system. In this episode, moderator Eliza Sthapit, national director of Habitat for Humanity Nepal, speaks with Handoko Ngadiman, national director of Habitat for Humanity Indonesia, and Phal Vandy, national director of Habitat for Humanity Cambodia, about the role of evidence-based policy and cross-sector partnerships in scaling housing solutions. Eliza sets the regional context and explains why housing is the foundation for health, education, safety, opportunity, and dignity. Vandy describes Cambodia's trust-based work with government, UN-Habitat, other NGOs, and the private sector to strengthen social and affordable housing policy, contributing to efforts to develop a housing law, financial inclusion strategy, and housing fund. Handoko examines barriers such as insecure land tenure and limited access to formal banking and government subsidies. He also shares the experience of Tanjung Kait, where 110 fishing families secured land titles, infrastructure, and decent homes through community facilitation, savings groups, and government support. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 02:46 Meet the guests & the Asia-Pacific reality 03:59 Vandy's story 05:25 Handoko's story 07:52 What "policy and partnership" really means 11:33 Cambodia: turning trust into policy 13:49 What surprises people about this work 18:50 Case study: Cambodia's social housing pilot 21:36 Case study: Tanjung Kait fishing village 26:34 Structural challenges across Asia-Pacific 28:38 Learning across borders 30:39 One policy, multiplied: Indonesia's village fund 35:16 Why keep investing in slow policy work 39:40 Looking forward 45:41 Lightning round 47:00 Closing Sources/References: \- World Population Review, 2026. "Natural Disaster Risk by Country 2026," https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/natural-disaster-risk-by-country \- Grahadyarini, B.M.L., (2024, October 10). Kompas. “3 Million Homes Program Ready to Invite Foreign Investors,” https://www.kompas.id/artikel/en-program-3-juta-rumah-siap-undang-investor-asing \- Habitat for Humanity Cambodia, 2023. “Supporting the implementation of the Cambodia government’s housing policy,” https://www.habitat.org/sites/default/files/documents/Cambodia%20brief%20on%20policy%20ask\_FINAL\_20231024\_2.pdf \- Habitat for Humanity International, 2026. "Finally, we own our land," https://www.habitat.org/ap/stories/finally-we-own-our-land \- The World Bank, 2026. “Cambodia Economic Update June 2026: Navigating Shocks,” https://reliefweb.int/report/cambodia/cambodia-economic-update-june-2026-navigating-shocks About the speakers: Eliza Sthapit is national director of Habitat for Humanity Nepal and has over 20 years of development experience across Asia. She began as a youth volunteer in community development and environmental conservation, later working with WWF, DANIDA, ICCO Cooperation, and Cordaid International in business development, organizational strategy, and human resources. She holds a Master's degree in Sustainable Resource Management from the Technical University of Munich and a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science from St-Xavier's College, Kathmandu. https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliza-sthapit-4051aa5/ Handoko Ngadiman, National Director of Habitat for Humanity Indonesia, holds Master's degrees from the University of Wales, Cardiff, and the Asian Institute of Management, Philippines. He has over 25 years of executive leadership across for-profit and non-profit sectors in Indonesia and Asia, including leading large national non-profits through restructuring, expansion, and leadership development. He is passionate about empowering families, mentoring young leaders, and guiding non-profits through strategic planning. https://www.linkedin.com/in/handoko-ngadiman-9497801b1/ Phal Vandy, National Director of Habitat for Humanity Cambodia, has over 20 years of experience in development and humanitarian leadership, strategy, governance, and inclusive finance. He completed Humanitarian Leadership training at Deakin University, Australia (2015), holds a Master's degree in Development Studies from the University of Cambodia (2008), and a Bachelor's degree in Business Management from the National University of Management, Cambodia. He has worked with various global organizations including Save the Children, Cambodia Microfinance Association, World Vision, Cambodia Australia Partnership for Resilient Economic Development, and the International Labor Organization on multi-sectoral governance, inclusive finance, and community development programs, and has overseen multi-million-dollar projects through high-level partnerships. https://www.linkedin.com/in/phal-vandy-119b72254/ For more info: habitat.org/ap linkedin.com/company/habitat-ap/ instagram.com/habitat.ap/ facebook.com/HabitatAP