Chandra Valku Bhalla (21) and her family no longer will have to replace the reeds and cowdung on the walls of their home

EIGHT tribal families, all engaged in growing vegetables and grains at their respective farms in village Nagewadi, now have pucca houses to live in. Thanks to the forty employees of Delta Airlines of USA who, in association with NGO — Habitat for Humanity, have come and invested their time and funds in helping build homes in this village. This was part of the company’s initiative, Delta Force for Global Good (DFGG). The house warming ceremony of one of the villagers was conducted yesterday in traditional style in the presence of US Consul General Michael S. Owen and his wife Annerieke Owen, CEO of Habitat for Humanity India Peter Selvaraj, Director (DFGG) Scarlet Pressley Brown and the company’s employees and six Delta Sky Miles customers. Owen, appreciating the work of the employees, said that it is important to know the life of rural people and the agricultural sector in India. “We care deeply about the wellbeing of the people in other countries. In December, we plan to conduct a similar activity in another rural area. As it involves a lot of logistics, the spot and date is yet to be fixed,” Owen assured.

It was a treat to see the smiles on the faces of the beneficiaries who were earlier staying in homes made of reeds and covered with cowdung. For Chebi Shankar Kamdi, whose home was decorated with festoons and rangoli, it was a dream come true. Thanking his benefactors, Kambdi (32), father of three school-going children said: “Now there is enough space for my daughters to study, store our agricultural products and also a separate place for the kitchen and wash area.”

The dedication and teamwork involved was evident from the neatly built homes. The volunteers toiled for eight hours a day, often in scorching heat, to make this project a success. They were given certificates of appreciation and a T-shirt each. The heat did not come in the way for Deirdre Kantoor (71), the oldest volunteer and a retired employee of Delta Airlines who was specially considered to be part of the activity. Kantoor who always wanted to work for a noble cause after her husband’s death said: “The world has given so much to us and hence in return I felt like giving back to the needy and deserving people. It was nice to stay with the villagers who have different cultures and am really impressed with their enthusiastic nature.”

Was there any training given in how to construct the homes? Brown in all smiles said: “It was learning and building on the same ground. There was no formal training. However, we warned them about the climatic changes and other likely situational challenges and they all agreed to face it. At the end of the day, it was a rewarding experience for each one of them.”

“This opportunity has helped me touch the lives and homes of the people in our country,” said Smita Premkumar one of the Indian volunteers.