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| Road construction at the Jimmy Carter Work Project 2006 build site. |
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by Rebekah Daniel
The small community of Habitat houses just outside Lonavala, India, may not appear to have much working in its favor. It has a disproportionate number of households sheltering physically challenged family members and headed by women, two groups almost guaranteed to struggle in rural India. Most jobs other than farming require travel by foot, bicycle or train--or all three.
And yet, this community, with 50 of its tidy, cement-block duplexes built during this year's Jimmy Carter Work Project, also has the potential to become one of the most successful Habitat communities in the world.
Each household is home to a member of the Abhinav Cooperative Credit Society, a women's self-help group that helped choose the homeowner families based on Habitat selection criteria. Group members contribute a small sum--usually 50 to 100 rupees, or about US$1 or $2--to the group each month. The money is used to make loans within the group. As group members in good standing, the women are accustomed to keeping detailed records and making regular payments.
This social connectedness and culture of financial responsibility bodes well for the future of the community, as does the degree to which the houses were designed with homeowners' needs in mind. "The site is located very close to Malavali train station, which is beneficial for those traveling every day to Lonavala or Pune for their work," says Ernesto Castro, JCWP 2006 project director. "Also, the roof system has been designed with galvanized-iron sheets and clay roof tiles. The tiles facilitate cool temperatures inside during the hot season; the GI sheets keep the mist and humidity outside during the rainy season."
In addition to the financial skills the homeowners bring to their new community, the energy and enthusiasm unique to Jimmy Carter Work Projects lingers. Before the project officially began, volunteer Stella Eun spent three months in the summer monsoon season helping with logistics and registration for a test build in May.
"The sight that touched me the most was the home partners' work ethics, their devotion to the tasks," she says. "Despite the rains, their dedication was wholehearted. You could see their joy in what they were doing. To them it wasn't work; it is one step ahead in achieving their dream home."
For on-the-scene reports and a gallery of photos from this year's Jimmy Carter Work Project, visit www.habitat.org/jcwp/2006/default.aspx.
