Building Sustainable Sanitation Solutions

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FROM THE MANAGING DIRECTOR’S DESK

Dear Friends,

Joyous greetings from Habitat for Humanity India!

The season of the advent is a time of great excitement and anticipation as we look forward to Christmas and the New Year celebration. There is so much to be thankful for as we end the year to celebrate what would be the first post-pandemic Christmas and New Year. The T-20 World Cup in Australia and FIFA World Cup in Qatar with stadiums filled to the brim is a sign that we have finally stepped out of the shadow into light.

But it would be wrong to think that all is well again. The slow-down caused by COVID-19 has knee-capped many economies leaving families vulnerable to rising inflation and cost of living amidst extreme weather events caused by climate change. The Indian sub-continent faced the major brunt of climate change this year with extreme heat, cyclones and floods exacerbating the already difficult living conditions of families in the low-income group. There’s so much to be done to address these challenges.

I invite you to join Habitat India and be a part of our Green Habitats campaign to raise awareness about climate change, take urgent climate action to preserve a livable climate and utilize renewable energy sources for the families we serve on the ground. The campaign kick-started on 24^th November on thanksgiving and will be active throughout the festive season till its culmination in January 2023. You can join us as a Green Habitats campaigner or as a Green Habitats Champion to help Habitat India invest in projects building environment-friendly homes and providing solar energy to families living in poor housing conditions.

Habitat for Humanity India is working towards building a healthy housing ecosystem which supports decent homes with better sanitation and access to water. We are consciously adopting low-carbon technology and material in the process of construction. In addition, we are embedding access to solar energy in our programming for new Habitat homes and community infrastructures.

Drawing lessons from the recently concluded COP27 in Egypt, we must strive to promote climate solutions for local communities to implement a low-carbon, just and resilient future. Continue to partner with us as we work to build strength, stability and self-reliance with families who are struggling to get back on their feet.

Wishing you and your loved ones warmth, joy and happiness in this festive season!

In partnership,

Dr. Rajan Samuel
Managing Director
Habitat for Humanity India

Reshma Gunthal, Beed, Maharashtra

Reshma is an entrepreneur from Malegaon village in Beed district, Maharashtra. Along with her husband, Vilas Gunthal, Reshma started an enterprise to provide clean drinking water in her locality. Called New Renuka Cool Aqua, Reshma’s enterprise provides water purified through Reverse Osmosis to the villagers since 2019. The capital to start the business was pooled together by her family. However she was facing challenges in running her enterprise efficiently.

She learned about Habitat India’s Project Nirmanshree through the self-help group she was a part of. She attended the Recognition of Prior Learning, Enterprise Development Program, Enterprise and Skill Development, and Government Schemes training which helped her to grow as an entrepreneur and tackle business-related challenges.

“I learnt and gained a lot from the project. The bookkeeping, financial management, and marketing training taught me to tackle the challenges of day-to-day operations nd expansion planning. It has given me a new perspective to grow my business and sustain my family,” says Reshma.

With handholding support from the Nirmanshree team, she applied for the PMEGP loan (Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme) to augment her business. Reshma also received financial support of INR 30,000 (USD 375) from Habitat under Project Nirmanshree to purchase a cooling machine for the RO plant, to expand the business further.

Nirmanshree is a project funded by the European Union and implemented by Habitat India to empower women through social enterprises in Maharashtra (Beed and Osmanabad) and Odisha (Dhenkanal and Jajpur). Through the project, women entrepreneurs like Reshma receive training, handholding and access to finance to start or grow their social enterprises, facilitating the entry of women into the male-dominated housing industry.

Learn more about Reshma and other women entrepreneurs

20 Vulnerable Families Move Into Their New Homes!

On 19^th November, 20 families in Ghatal Mahaniyawas, Rewari, Haryana were given the keys to their homes in a home dedication ceremony in the presence of leaders from The Muthoot Group and Habitat India.

The Muthoot Aashiyana project was initiated in April 2022 to build homes with families living in vulnerable housing conditions. These families were recipients of 900 sq ft of land through the Government of Haryana’s Lal Dora Scheme 2011. Out of the 20 homeowners, 13 are widows, and 7 belong to the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category. The 400 sq. ft home structure includes 2 bedrooms, one hall, a kitchen, and an attached toilet bathroom.

Assam Flood Response Appeal

Hundreds of families are still in need of disaster-resilient housing as the floods have damaged their houses. Habitat for Humanity places the families affected by natural disasters on a path to durable and sustainable shelter solutions in a phase-wise manner through its Pathways to Permanence disaster response strategy.

To donate, visit https://habitatindia.org/campaigns/assam-flood-response-appeal/

To support us through CSR, please get in touch with:
Suprita Tambe (Director – Resource Development Support): [email protected]
Mohan D'souza (Director – Resource Development): [email protected]

Global Village Asia Pacific Resumption 2023 Workshop

Habitat for Humanity International, Asia Pacific Region hosted the Global Village Asia Pacific Resumption CY2023 Workshop in Bangkok from 14^th to 17^th November 2022 as a part of the preparation for resumption of the Global Village International Volunteer Program, beginning at the regional level.

The workshop focused on Global Village Minimum Standards, Risk and Safety Management, and compliance as per updated guidelines. Mr. Anna Charly, Director - Volunteer Programs and Individual Fundraising represented Habitat India at the workshop.

The volunteer builds were paused in 2020 because of the threat posed by COVID-19 pandemic, to safeguard the communities we work in and for the safety of the volunteers who partner with Habitat. We hope to resume your favourite volunteer build activities soon. Stay tuned!

Marketing Training for Women in Maharashtra and Odisha

From June to November 2022, 1504 women in the Beed and Osmanabad districts of Maharashtra and 1055 women in the Jajpur and Dhenkanal districts of Odisha were trained in skill and product marketing under Nirmanshree, a project funded by the European Union. The training focused on sales, packaging and branding as well as orientation on the Nirman App – a mobile application developed for the project. Nirmanshree is a project funded by the European Union and implemented by Habitat for Humanity India to empower women through social enterprise in Maharashtra (Beed and Osmanabad) and Odisha (Dhenkanal and Jajpur). In its third year, the project has trained 3000 women in Recognition of Prior Learning, Entrepreneurship Development Program, and Government Schemes providing handholding support to access government schemes and entitlements. The project has also established 50 social enterprises selling goods and services catering to the housing ecosystem. Click here to learn more about Nirmanshree: www.habitatindia.org/nirmanshree

School Students Support Low Income Families with Water Wheels

Mount Litera School International, Mumbai partnered with Habitat India in a crowdfunding campaign to raise awareness and resources for empowering low-income communities by providing women with access to water. 71 students volunteered by mobilising a total of ₹13,56,454 (16,6670 USD approximately) through 519 supporters. This school support program for providing water wheels to marginalized communities is done in collaboration with The Alpha Urbane Project. We thank students and the management of Mount Litera School for their valuable support.

Green Habitats!

Climate change is having far-reaching impacts on people from all walks of life across India. However, the millions of families Habitat partners with are often among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, which include increasingly common and severe weather events such as cyclones, floods and droughts. These events can result in tragic outcomes for families, including damage to or complete loss of their homes, which may expose them to other threats, such as food insecurity, diseases, and displacement. We believe we have a responsibility to recognize that climate change has a disproportionate impact on the people we serve, and that to be accountable to them, we must address that impact through resilient housing. In this season of giving, we are launching our Green Habitats campaign to raise awareness of climate change, take urgent climate action to preserve a livable climate and utilize renewable energy sources for the families we serve on the ground. Click here to know more and take an action today.

4^th Habitat Charity Golf Tournament

Habitat for Humanity India proudly presents the 4^th edition of the Annual Charity Golf Tournament. Save The Date to play your favourite game and help vulnerable people affected by COVID-19 through shelter. When you play golf with Habitat for Humanity India, everyone wins – each one of you and most importantly, the families we work with at the grassroots! The funds raised from the tournament will support vulnerable people affected by COVID-19 through shelter. Watch the impact of the past editions of Charity Golf Tournaments here. Save The Date Date: Saturday, 4^th February 2023 Venue: Willingdon Sports Club, Mumbai