BUILDING SHELTER FOR THE HOMELESS

Housing is an arduous problem especially in developing country like India, with Assam as one of its remotest place away from development. Apart from being one of the three basic necessities of life, adequate housing helps to prevent diseases, injury and death, provides security, and increases household and national income. It has become a top priority of the government and the society at large to address this issue.

According to the 2011 Census, Assam has 22116 destitute people, of which 14847 are women and 7269 are men. According to the Census report, there were about 4.13 lakh beggars and homeless people in India.Owing to the past incidents of ethnic violence and frequent natural calamities like floods which had taken place in Assam, thousands of people were rendered homeless. The victims hadto take shelter in various relief camps set up by the Government where most of them are passing their lives in a very pitiable condition. At present, there are thousands of families living in those camps, yet to be rehabilitated.

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Why is it so urgent?

Keeping in view the large scale homelessnessthat has been caused by various factors like natural and manmade calamities, poverty etc; the following are the reasons why housing the homeless is important:

 To provide them with an enhanced sense of security and safeguard them from various natural calamities like rain and storm. The homeless families are living in temporary houses which were stacked and congested.
 To enhance their living standards; this would provide the children with an opportunity to study and access quality education. Without a proper house, the education of the poverty-stricken children hastaken a back step. They do not go to schools and are at risk of remaining uneducated.
 To safeguard the families from various diseases by giving them an opportunity to live in a clean and hygienic environment. The temporary shelters in which they live are unhygienic.
 To help the families focus on earning a secure means of livelihood. The homeless families are mostly poor and had no regular source of income.

How will we do it?

The implementation is a vital phase where visions and plans become a reality. This is the logical execution of plans after a thorough evaluation of all the factors associated with the project. A Project Implementation Committee will be set up consisting of the core members of the organization. After a confirmation of funds from the donor organization, our team will start executing the plan that was formed during the project preparation.The beneficiaries will include the people living Below Poverty Line (BPL), the differently-abled, widows, orphans, victims of natural and manmade calamities and those whose earnings are bare minimum. They will be identified with the help of local prominent persons. These are those masses that had either been driven away from their houses due to ethnic violence or natural calamities like flood, cyclone and soil erosion. They have been staying in temporary sheds ever since.

Quotations for the materials of construction will be collected from a few known local vendors and comparative statements will be prepared. Thereafter it will be given to the purchase department for procurement of the required items.The construction materials available at the best market prices will be selected and purchase orders will be placed to the right vendors whose rates are found to be apt. The materials required will be delivered by the vendors according to the desired specifications. These materials will include GI sheets, bricks, cement, sand, rods, coils, wooden structures, shuttering planks and so on. The quality of items purchased will be checked and ensured by the purchase department. Eventually, the construction of the houses will start under the supervision of Civil Engineers deputed by Ajmal Foundation.

Ajmal Foundation will depute sufficient engineers and supervisors along with the required numbers of volunteers in order to implement the project properly. All necessary guidelines will be followed as desired by the donor in order to avoid any disorder during the implementation of the project. It is a top priority of the trust to maintain full transparency of the project undertaken and its timely completion.

Project Evaluation

AJMAL FOUNDATION has its Project team visiting the sites of Low Cost houses that are built for the homeless families every 6 months to follow up with the beneficiaries. They maintain a record of the condition of the house for any maintenance works if needed. They keep a track of the beneficiaries’ progress upon receival of the house.

What have we done in the past?

Our organization consists of skilled engineers, supervisors and volunteers who are well accustomed to construction works. In the recent past, quite a few international organizations have come forward to implement various projects in Assam. Our organization has successfully implemented all those projects with full vigor. In 2013, four hundred houses were built for the homeless in Kokrajhar. A Model Village consisting of one hundred and eighty houses was built in Kashipara in 2015-16. Sixty houses were built at Moynartol in 2016 along with sixty in Chennai. During 2017-18, fifty seven houses were built in Hojai. Apart from this, several housing projects are ongoing in different parts of Assam. Apart from this, we have made houses for the victims of natural calamities like flood, soil erosion and cyclone.

 
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