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Home Partner |
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| Housing : A Status Quotient |
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Lakshmi says, “I was in search for a bridegroom for my daughter Meenakshi for the past 4 years. But I did not find a suitable one. Few months after moving into this house I was able to get my daughter married”.
Lakshmi, a widow along with her three children lived in a rented house in Madurai. After her husbands death she sold clothes on the roadside footpath to earn a living. With the petite income she was unable to manage her family in Madurai. She managed to buy a small piece of land in Ayyenkottai, a small village near Madurai.
It was 10 years since Lakshmi settled in Ayyenkottai. The family grew as her son married and had two children. They still lived in a small rented house. The monthly income of Rs. 3000 (approx. US $73) did not permit her to construct her own house.
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It was very difficult for four adults and two children to live in a small house.Lakshmi came to know of Habitat for Humanity and Maha Semam (local NGO partner) are involved in helping people to construct houses. She approached Maha Semam staff and requested them to help her construct a house. After the selection process, her application was taken into consideration. Today Lakshmi comfortably lives in a tiled house with a plinth area of 320 square feet comprising of a hall, kitchen and bathroom.
Few months after moving into this house I was able to get my daughter married. The marriage took place because of this house. My status has increased and people know that I have a house and have the capacity to get my daughter married.
Now we have a bathroom and my daughter-in-law can use it. Earlier she was finding very difficult to have an open bath. As a single woman, I was able to settle my family and build a house on my own. I want to thank Habitat for helping me to achieve my dream of a House. |
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| Habitat home partner at Mahad commented that “the landslide made us homeless, but Habitat gave us a roof over our heads”. |
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Manda Warghade, a homepartner at a tribal village in Karjat, Maharashtra, in joy and excitement says, “My old house was about to break as it was in a bad shape. Once every 3 to 4 years I had to replace the reeds (Karvi). I had to walk 15 Kms for collecting Karvi sticks from the mountain slope. I had to cut and bring 15-16 bundles of Karvi over a long distance. The hut was unable to protect my children.We did not have place to sleep during the monsoon. We also had difficulty burning Chulla (fireplace for cooking) in the house when there were strong winds. But now conditions have changed. I have built a Pucca house of my own. My children are extremely happy since we have shifted to the new house. The house is dry, safe and warm even after the heavy rains during June this year. The health of my children looks much better. I am really grateful to all those who supported me to build a better home for my family.”
Rajamma a homepartner in Bangalore said, ‘The new house lets us stock up my husband’s fruits and vegetables (husband is a fruit vendor) under safe conditions, protecting it from theft and other dangers that spoil the fruits.’ |
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| “This house is a gift from God. Every day when we used to sleep in the open , the thought about my children would haunt me. I always wondered what would happen to my children after my death? Where will they sleep? I had no hope about future. But this Habitat house has given me hope. I know that even if I die my children will have a place to live. I want to thank Habitat for providing us a beautiful house and for our family a confidence to live”. Sahayam a Homepartner in Amalinagar Village, Chennai. She is a widow with three children. Her house was destroyed in the 2004 Tsunami. |
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