October 8, 2026 | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST | Online
How can investment capital help solve, rather than worsen, the global housing crisis?
Join CAFIID for a global dialogue on the role of investment in expanding access to affordable housing.
The conversation will be moderated by Leilani Farha, Global Director of The Shift and former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing. She will be joined by housing practitioners and investors showcasing different approaches to financing affordable housing, including Betsy Gaborit of Ilu Fund/Deetken Impact, Yannis Berthouzoz, Deputy CEO of Symbiotics Asset Management, and Lusanda Netshitenzhe, CEO TUHF.
Meet the Speakers
Leilani Farha - Global Director of The Shift and former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing
Leilani Farha is the Global Director of The Shift, an international human rights organization focused on the right to housing. Ms. Farha served as United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing between 2014 and 2020. Recognized by governments and grassroots movements alike for her human rights expertise, she is a leading voice globally on international human rights law.
Leilani is the 2026 CBC Massey Lecturer and the author of Housing Inc.: A Global Takeover and Our Fight for Home, which traces how decades of political decisions and financial industry practices have turned housing into an asset class rather than ensuring it fulfils a basic human need. She advocates for a change in values, rooted in human rights, as the only way to approach housing and address the crisis.
Leilani is also the co-host of the podcast PUSHBACK Talks and the protagonist in the award-winning documentary PUSH, which explores the financialization of housing.
Betsy Gaborit - Ilu Fund Portfolio Officer, Deetken Impact
Betsy has more than 17 years of experience in international cooperation and financial inclusion, working across Latin America and the Caribbean with international and local organizations, public sector institutions, and financial institutions.
For the past five years, she has served as a Portfolio Officer at Deetken Impact, where she manages investments for the Ilu Women’s Empowerment Fund, with a focus on financial inclusion, affordable housing, renewable energy, and other impact sectors across the region.
Betsy holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and a Master’s degree in Project Formulation and Evaluation, with a specialization in Finance. She is also certified in Microfinance Management and Risk Management, complementing her extensive experience in impact investing, portfolio management, and sustainable finance.
Yannis Berthouzoz - Deputy CEO, Symbiotics Asset Management
Yannis joined Symbiotics in 2007 as a Senior Market Research Analyst. After a 3-year intermezzo (2011-2014), working notably as risk manager for an innovative Impact Fund, he rejoined Symbiotics as a Portfolio Manager, before taking charge of our Discretionary Mandate team in 2017. Before Symbiotics, he held various functions in finance and development at the United Nations on Trade and Development, ILO and Capital International. Yannis holds a Master degree in International Relations from the Graduate Institute in Geneva as well as a Master of Advanced Studies in Globalization, Social Regulation and Sustainable Development from the University of Geneva. He has been a Certified International Investment Analyst since 2011.
Lusanda Netshitenzhe - CEO, TUHF21
Lusanda has over 20 years’ experience in the commercial property finance, affordable housing and impact investment sector. She is the CEO of TUHF21 where she works to drive financial inclusion, urban development and to achieve real development impact.
She is dedicated to transforming township economies and inner-city areas around South Africa. Lusanda joined the TUHF Group of Companies in 2007 as Portfolio Manager, launched its Kwa-Zulu Natal operations in 2009 and later served as Development Impact Executive. Before this, she was the Grants and Procurement Manager at the Support Programme for Social Housing and Housing Services Manager at Cope Housing Association.
In addition to her experience as an executive, Lusanda has board level experience in the private, public and NGO sectors. She is the Chairperson of Rand Water Foundation and the Land Affairs Board. She also serves as a board member of the Johannesburg Inner-city Partnership, Makers Valley Partnership and WaterCan. She previously served as Chairperson of Communicare and served as non-executive director at Ekurhuleni Housing Company and as Trustee at ApexHi Charitable Trust.
She holds a business degree, an MBL (UNISA), and an MSc in Development Planning (Wits). She also completed the Executive Programme in Advanced Property Development (Graduate School of Business, UCT) and a Housing Finance Course at Wharton (University of Pennsylvania, USA).
Naomi Gichungu - Impact Director, Northpine Foundation; Co-Founder and CEO, Inuka Community Inc.; CAFIID Membership Engagement Committee