For nearly two decades, REAL (Rural Education and Action for Liberation), a Pondicherry-based NGO has focused on development issues concerning women, children, health and the environment. It now oversees 1,500 self-help groups in over 300 villages in Villupuram and Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu. Its programs benefit about 30,000 people including members of dalit, the lowest caste in India, as well as marginalized women and the very poor people.
REAL and Habitat for Humanity, India came together when Habitat started the transition to the more regular repayment program, in October 2007, at Pondicherry. The partnership involved building and repairing 400 houses in more than 10 villages. The cost of construction of a new house was about 65,000 rupees (about US$1,345), to be repaid by families over five years. In the case of repair or retrofitting a house i.e. changing doors or windows, replacing shutters, plastering or building a new toilet, the family had to contribute US$50 each, to be repaid over two years.
The project was completed by mid-2008.
Matthew Maria, REAL's project manager, said: "We have worked with many other donors and NGOs. Habitat is the first to listen to NGOs, enquiring at every stage into what the problems might be. Habitat is willing to participate. That is really encouraging. It is the true development of a partnership." REAL also cited Habitat for its understanding of the ground reality.
Maria concluded: "Habitat doesn't monitor from a distance. At every stage, whenever we were facing issues, Habitat helped us to solve them". |
