“We want to see the world, interact with people of different backgrounds and serve the poor,” said Takuyu Schimizu. And that intention inspired Takuyu and his 13-member team of students of Deshisha University at Kyoto in Japan to embark on a 12-day visit to India.

The team landed up at Shankanipura near Hoskote and dived right away into construction of houses for the poor.
Habitat for Humanity, an international organisation, was busy there assisting the poor to build their own houses.

The team of students, all aged below 20, spent their own money to visit India. As Takuyu put it, each team member pooled in close to 200,000 yen (100 yen is equal to Rs 36) which they earned by doing part-time jobs after college hours.

The team would return home from Mumbai on March 11. One of the beneficiaries, Saraswathi was all praise for them. “They don’t know the local language, nor we villagers can speak to them in English. Even then we communicated through our gestures. They were like members of our own family”, she recalled.

Habitat for Humanity in association with BIRD an NGO, has been assisting nine members of Renuka Self Help Group in building their own houses at Shankanipura. Arun Matthan, General Manager of H for H said, to minimise expenditures, volunteers from different parts of the world are involved.

H for H and BIRD will help construction of houses not exceeding the total built up area 300 sq ft. Beneficiaries will be selected considering their monthly income, capacity to pay back money provided as assistance. They will get Rs 54,950 as assistance which should be returned in easy installments (Rs 600 per month).

“Beneficiaries take five to six years to clear their dues. Only 5 per cent of interest is collected from them. However the interest is not to make profit. It is treated as contribution of the beneficiary to assist some more beneficiaries”, said Leela, Programme Officer (H for H).