What does RTU do? - 3. Housing

You may have noticed that it's nearly Christmas. I wonder where you will be celebrating? Perhaps in your own home; perhaps with your parents or your grown-up children; perhaps somewhere quite different. Wherever you'll be this year though, the chances are that the house will be warm, dry, and safe. So it seemed like a good moment to pause and think about the housing in the area of Southern India covered by Reaching the Unreached. For a long time, the poverty of the villagers has meant that they have lived in inadequate huts. Roughly constructed with mud walls and thatched rooves, these one-room "houses" let in the rain and poisonous snakes, have no sanitary facilities, and are often completely destroyed in strong winds. They need re-construction on an annual basis, at a cost which many families cannot afford. This forces them to go to money-lenders, who charge high interest rates (60% or more), and so the cycle of poverty and debt is reinforced.

Since 1976, RTU have been constructing simple but sturdy houses for the most needy local people. These houses are made of brick, with tiled rooves. They have a living area, sometimes partitioned for privacy, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a veranda. Each house costs approximately £450 to construct. Over 7,500 have been built so far. Villagers apply for an RTU house, and their need is carefully assessed. If they are successful, they are fully involved in the planning and the construction of the house. I particularly appreciate this empowerment of the local people, rather than forcing them into the role of passive receivers of charity. Moreover, the bricks, tiles, window frames and so on are all made in an RTU factory, providing employment for local people, and using local materials which are not harmful to the environment.

Each year, Lasallian Developing World Projects, founded by the De La Salle order, sends teams of young people to developing countries to participate in building projects. Since 2005 this has included the Rural Housing Programme of RTU. One returned volunteer wrote, "There was nothing that we did that could not have been done by the people of the village. We could have just sent a cheque. So what was the point?". This volunteer goes on to describe how each member of the team gained enormous insights into the local culture and the impact of poverty there, and how humbled they were by the generosity of the local people. It seems, also, that the locals were delighted to receive these Westerners; it was evidence that people cared about their situation and were making real efforts to help. The mutual benefits of such projects are obviously manifold. The young people particularly appreciated being invited to the house-warming parties. These involve lighting candles, cracking open a coconut, and sharing warm milk, cake and fruit. Perhaps during the next week we can remember the delight of these people in moving into their new homes, and appreciate our own homes a little more.