FROM THE NATIONAL DIRECTOR’S DESK

Dear Friends,

Greetings from Habitat for Humanity India!

As we enter the month of November, we are grateful for the support and commitment of our donors, volunteers, and partners who are working with us tirelessly to build safe and affordable housing.

We are pleased to share that the previous month marked the successful completion of training 2,00,000 women in Odisha and Maharashtra under Project Nirmanshree, funded by the European Union. It also marks the launch of Nirman Haat, a platform where women entrepreneurs are given an opportunity to display their skills, products, and passion.

In October 2023, Habitat India engaged in purposeful workshops, first focusing on Disaster Risk Reduction and Response, followed by a pivotal workshop on our Country Strategic Plan for 2024-27. These sessions, filled with spirited discussions, have set a robust foundation for our future endeavours.

This month, families across India will start preparing for Diwali celebrations - the festival of lights. Thanks to your support, we have been able to light up the lives of countless families. Many are able to celebrate Diwali in a home of their own. Let this season of festivals be a reminder of the importance of addressing the need for safe housing. As hope and determination fills our hearts, may it enable us to achieve our vision of building a world where everyone has a decent place to live.

Wishing you and your family a very Happy and Prosperous Diwali!

In partnership, James Samuel National Director (Interim) Habitat for Humanity India

Fasabai’s family gets ready to celebrate Diwali in their new Habitat Home

“This monsoon wouldn’t be any different if we hadn’t partnered with Habitat for Humanity India. We would still be living in a house that could collapse anytime. The walls of our house were made of brick and mud, and would often have leaks, rendering the entire house moist and causing my daughters to fall sick.”

Fasabai, a mother of four young girls, Anushka, Tanishka, Manasi, and Samiksha, lives with her husband and father-in-law. The two men of the household work as daily wage labourers on a farm adjacent to their house in Khed block, located in Pune district of Maharashtra. The constant water seepage during the monsoon would make the girls fall sick frequently and miss their school.

“Now that we have partnered with Habitat India to build a house we can call our own, we don’t have to worry about the hustle of fixing the roof and walls every monsoon. This year, instead of feeling anxious about the monsoon, we were looking forward to it.”

“Every mother needs to know her children have a safe place to call home. Now that we have a stable home, the girls won’t fall sick as often as they did. After we set up the kitchen, we arranged for a gas connection. We did not have that earlier. Samiksha and Anushka, who are in class 2 and 3, are glad to have books that aren’t covered in soot from the firewood.”  

Everything matters while building a home: each brick, each tool, and each hand. Now that Fasabai’s family has a space that's safe, warm, and can be called home, she plans to focus on their daughter’s education, health, and a better future.

Project Nirmanshree - A Project funded by the European Union

Project Nirmanshree facilitates the training of 2,00,000 women on basic construction topics

Project Nirmanshree, funded by the European Union, leverages the power of over 3,000 women trained through the Recognition of Prior Learning programme, to engage with 20,000 self-help groups to eventually help facilitate 2,00,000 women with an aim of helping them improve their habitat. The orientations provided are intended to be a springboard for the women to pursue more advanced learning related to construction, and to access government schemes. Of these, many women have indicated that they would want to pursue further learning and have been referred to the appropriate local government institutions/departments facilitating their house improvement. The Project Nirmanshree team also organised sessions in the 4 districts of Osmanabad, Beed (Maharashtra), Dhenkanal and Jajpur (Odisha) to raise awareness about the project to empower women socially and economically in construction through trainings, to raise awareness about Government schemes and the formation of collectives, and to make the sector more conducive for women by providing them with better skills and opportunities. A total of 31 awareness events were held in Maharashtra and Odisha with a total of 1383 participants in the month of October 2023.

Launch of Nirman Haat in Odisha and Maharashtra

Nirman Haat, an exclusive platform where women entrepreneurs from Project Nirmanshree come together to display their skills, products, and passion, saw a flying start in Jajpur, Odisha on 19^th October 2023, followed by Beed, Maharashtra on 28^th October 2023. Five women led enterprises from each district showcased their talent, creativity, and entrepreneurship. The Nirman Haat was set up at the district level exhibitions organised by the Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society, Government of Odisha, and the Gram Panchayat of Beed, Maharashtra. The 5 social enterprises from Jajpur, Odisha, displaying innovative housing products, were given a certification by ORMAS.

Strategic Planning and Disaster Risk Reduction and Response Workshop in Delhi

Disaster Risk Reduction and Response Workshop

On 16^th and 17^th October 2023, Habitat India organised a workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction and Response (DR3) in New Delhi. The workshop brought together programs, technical, and other dedicated staff members. The primary focus of the workshop was twofold: first, to review our past DR3 initiatives, and second, to assess the current needs within the community.

Habitat India Strategic Planning Workshop

The DR3 workshop was followed by a preliminary workshop on Habitat India’s Country Strategic Plan for 2024-27 on 18^th and 19^th October 2023 in New Delhi. The participants, representing Programs, Resource Development, Finance, Human Resources, IT and Communications, immersed themselves in brainstorming sessions and discussions on critical aspects, including Programs Strategic Priorities and Scope, Geographical Consolidation, and Partnership and Networking. This collective effort sets a strong foundation for our strategic direction in the coming years.

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