Wonderful Day One !!!!

Hi,

Today was an incredible day where we packed in what felt like a week's activities ! It is of course International Women's Day, and the first day of our build in Hegda Nagar. We started about 8.30 and the busses transferred us to the site for a special Welcome from the local women whom we'll build with. We were each adorned with flower garlands and bindis. There was a water and fire ceremoney which is to ward off negative thoughts. It was very friendly and engaging, even though we couldn't understand each other ! Charley did a good job at interpreting.

We then went on a walking tour of the village. This was a terrific introduction to the Community and the work we'll be doing. The scenes seemed familiar, maybe from films or TV documentaries, but I hadn't seen anything like them live before, the colour, the lively children and the animals strewn around the streets. The streets are narrow and the houses very basic and some in very poor condition. Charley brought us to meet some of the familes we'll be working with.

Here we can see Pyari and her family at Number 12. Her story encapsulates the urgency of the moment. The mud wall to the side was part of their old self built hut. Since we were starting to build today, they knocked down the old hut yesterday and will live in the corrugated iron shed to the right, until the house is complete. All of the stories are triumphs of dertemination and hard work over adversity and it will certainly be a pleasure to build alongside these folks.

After the village it was off to the site of BIRDS (Brothers Integrated rural Development Society), a sister organisation of Habitat for our International Women's Day Celebration.
It was a truely amazing spectacle. We were seated in a huge marquee, where the women from the village and some of the children came along in the wonderful colourful clothes, along with many dignatories, including the first ever woman to be Director General of the Police in Bangalore. There were encouraging words frm many of the VIPs, some wonderful local dancing and singing from the children.

There were a few ceremonies build in. One was the ceremonial lighting of the lamp by the VIPs for the begining of the build, and one where the Team Leaders came forward to accept the tools of the trade for their teams. Jenny did us proud ! as she accepted the tools for the Northern Irish team.


After the ceremony, we had a very nice lunch and then it was down to the real business of the day. We were divided into teams and set off to build. I'm on the team for House 4, with Cathy and Liz from our NI team and Peggy and Cathie from Florida. Peggy's grandparents are from Mayo .. so she's one of us really !! We set out for House 4 with our Habitat Team Leader Bunty. The home owner is Shantammal, a widow who will live in the house with her son and his wife and family. Shantammal wasn't on site today, but we met her sister and her son is the chief mason on the site laying the blocks. Here's the house as it ws when we arrived to work today. The temporary dwelling at the back is the one room construction is where the family of 3 adults and 2 children live today.

Our afternoon was mostly carrying blocks (They are heavy !!) and mixing sand and cement for the blocklaying.

Although it was a short day's work given all the other activities today, we were exhaused after it, mostly because of the heat .. it was sweltering, so we found the shade when we could, and we very much look forward to working with the family and crew again tomorrow.

Tonight was low key with dinner in the hotel .. as we were so shattered ! Tomorrow night we have dinner in town, so we hope to be more alive tomorrow night !

Bye for now.