More than 70 volunteers were in India to help build 14 homes with people of Bhalaswa, a resettlement colony in northwest Delhi, under a project organized by Habitat for Humanity in India.
Global Build was a signature week-long event that started on 29th September and ended by marking the United Nations' designated World Habitat Day on 6th October. The event aimed to draw global attention to the issues of inadequate housing, and what these mean for the people of Bhalaswa and India as a whole.
We, 9 volunteers from Japan, had unforgettable experiences building homes with volunteers from USA, Canada, Korea, Australia and Singapore. We, overseas volunteers, were joined by those from India who are eager to do their part for their fellow countrymen.
Volunteers were divided into 12 teams and each team worked for one particular home family. Through this working experience, we could have a very special relationship with volunteers from all over the world even though we had not known each other at all 10 days before.
-------Details on Bhalaswa--------
Bhalaswa Jhuggi Jhopri colony is situated on northwestern edge of Delhi, surrounded by an overused landfill site, Bhalaswa Dairy and a string of unauthorized colonies. The colony was set up in November 2000 when 526 families were resettled after being evicted from the slum colony on the banks of Yamura river east of Delhi. Shortly after a year, a further 4,000 families were moved to Bhalaswa from slum clusters located in various areas.
Families were allotted plots of land either: 150 sq. ft or 220 sq. ft but they had to pay 7,000 rupees (about US$148) to build their houses. The cost was beyond the reach for most of the families who earned their living mostly as daily wage laborers, and impossible for many. Not only did the families lose their means of livelihood but they also lacked basic services such as water, electricity, sanitation and education.
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- Project details
Report on Global Build in India!
2008/10/22