Jaipur: A group of professionals and students from the United States of America has added a new dimension to dignity of labour by making contribution to the construction of houses of two poor women and a man in Nauh village of Sewar Panchayat Samiti in Bharatpur district. The 17-member group went back after completing its project, benefiting three persons in the village, last Friday.

The Shramdaan project was sponsored by Lupin Human Welfare and Research Foundation and Habitat for Humanity India. Three poor beneficiaries were selected in the small and nondescript Nauh village, where the American group descended and worked hard in the sweltering heat of March. The persons whose brick houses have been constructed with the “foreign help” are Mrs.   Hemlata, Mrs. Ramshri and Mr. Devi Singh.

The group comprised 16 Americans and one Vietnam national. The members included jurists, lawyers, scientists, businessmen and students. All of them used to reach the village everyday in early morning and helped in carrying bricks form tractor trolleys to the construction site, preparing the mixture of cement and bajri, digging earth and giving away the material to masons.

The Lupin HW&R Foundation’s Chief Programme Manager, Dr. Swati Samvatsar, said here today that the spirit of the American group was high and all the members did hard work as labourers at the site with the sole intention to help out the poor people.

American jurist Mr. Mark Dean, who led the group, said this was his third visit to India on the mission to help in the construction of houses. “I derive immense satisfaction and happiness from this work and will come again to participate in the similar projects,” he said.

Scientist Mr. Orwill Brown form California said his previous two visits to India were in connection in with business, but this visit was purely a philanthropic one. The heat, dust and sunshine in this part of India could not dampen his spirit and enthusiasm. Studnets Lynes Fost and Kates also said they felt fortunate to help out the poor people and this was their first exposure to the rural culture of India.

Habitant for Humanity India’s Programme In-Charge Ms. Rosaline Osana said the institution working on the principle of no-profit no-loss was providing interest-free loans to the poor people for construction of their houses. Groups of foreigners travel to India on their own expenses to contribute to the construction of houses.

Dr. Samvatsar pointed out that loans had been disbursed in Bharatpur district with the assistance of Lupin HW&R Foundation, Habitat for Humanity India and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) for construction of 220 new houses and repairing of 200 old houses so far. The repairing work has been completed and the construction of new houses is in progress in Nauh village.

 Kalyan Singh Kothari

Media Consultant

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