A family outside their new home in Chad, where 3,550 homes will be built for refugees in partnership with UNHCR
Some Sydney homebuyers could soon do more than secure a roof over their heads – with their purchase directly funding a home for a family in need overseas.
The Arada Foundation has teamed up with The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF) to announce a major expansion of its ongoing ‘Home for a Home’ initiative.
In a first-of-its-kind global commitment, every home sold by developer Arada across its Australian, UAE and UK projects will directly fund the construction of a home for a vulnerable family, with a minimum target of 4,000 homes a year.
Homes sold through Arada’s Australian projects, due to launch later this year, have the opportunity to fund housing in Chad, Indonesia and Lebanon.
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HH Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi during a visit to Kenya. The Arada Foundation, in partnership with The Big Heart Foundation, has to date funded 2,100 homes in Kenya, Chad and Syria.
“Whether you’re buying in Sydney, London or Dubai, the story is the same – when you buy a home for your family, you’re also buying a home for a family in need,” Ahmed Alkhoshaibi Group CEO of Arada said.
“Making this a year-round, global initiative highlights our belief that responsible development must also uplift others.
“Every home we sell now contributes to building a safer, more dignified life for someone else, as well as supporting local economies in a wide variety of meaningful ways.”
In Sydney, the initiative is set to include a Castle Hill development expected to come to market and commence construction before they year’s end.
In addition to Castle Hill, Arada’s confirmed project pipeline in NSW includes sites at Canterbury, Belmore, Auburn, Port Macquarie and two sites at Campsie.
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Render of Wattle Green at Carrington Road, Castle Hill
In 2026, the initiative’s first full year of year-round implementation, projects will include 3,550 sustainable refugee shelters in Chad – where over 150,000 refugees have recently fled to escape the conflict in neighbouring Sudan – in partnership with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
An additional 300 homes (of which 50 will be accessible for people with disabilities) will be built in the Yogyakarta Province of Indonesia, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit organisation that works around the world to help more families access a safe and decent place to live.
Additional funding is also set to be provided for community training and water supply infrastructure improvements.
Arada Group chief executive Ahmed Alkhoshaibi. Picture: Mark Jezercic
In partnership with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), the Home for a Home initiative will also renovate 150 homes in the Lebanese village of Ghazze, a village in the Bekaa Valley hosting around 19,000 residents, including both Lebanese and Syrian families.
The village is now also hosting hundreds of people displaced by the renewed hostilities in South Lebanon, placing additional pressure on housing and basic services.
Through this project, families living in unsafe, damaged or inadequate homes will receive support to improve their living conditions, reduce protection risks and regain a sense of dignity and safety at home.
“This programme reflects a shared vision of social responsibility that goes beyond business,” HH Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, Humanitarian Envoy of TBHF and Chairman of Arada said.
“‘Home for a Home’ ensures that every success story in our communities creates a ripple of hope far beyond our borders.”
300 homes will be built in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, this year, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity
HE Mariam Al Hammadi, Advisory Board Member of The Big Heart Foundation said a safe home is more than a place of shelter.
“It is the foundation of dignity, protection and the ability to rebuild life after displacement, hardship or crisis,” she said.
“Through this partnership with Arada Foundation, the Home for a Home initiative is evolving into a sustained global commitment that connects responsible business growth with direct humanitarian impact.
“At The Big Heart Foundation, we believe that meaningful change is achieved when partnerships respond to urgent needs while also creating the conditions for families and communities to regain stability, safety and hope.”
A family outside their new home in Chad, where 3,550 homes will be built for refugees in partnership with UNHCR
The Arada Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the UAE-headquartered Arada that expanded into Australia in 2024, with initial work looking at the ways in which Arada can assist women and children escaping domestic and family violence.
In November 2025, the Foundation launched ‘Arada House’ – a new women’s safe haven in Sydney – in partnership with Women’s Community Shelters.
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