More than 20 volunteers partnered with future homeowners in Igatpuri, Nashik district, Maharashtra, to work on homes during the Legacy Build from 3rd March 2024 to 8th March 2024. This included 14 young people who are from Habitat for Humanity Japan’s campus chapters. The build was led by Anthony Miller, a member of Habitat’s Asia-Pacific Development Council, and his wife Cecilia Melin, Habitat for Humanity Japan's Executive Director. The volunteers also learnt about the housing needs when they visited three future homeowner families where they currently live.
“Our group built a home for a mom, a dad, and their three young kids. Before seeing it in person, I couldn’t have imagined what the mud house where they lived was like. The family had to walk a long way to get clean water, and they charged their phone with a small solar panel. The inside of the home was hot and humid, and I could tell that in the rainy season the house would flood. I realised how hard it must be to study, work, and raise those three young children in these conditions. It made me think about just how many people around the world need a decent place to live, with Japan as no exception,” shared Utana Arai, a volunteer from the Build.