The Habitat for Human International, founded by former United States president Jimmy Carter, is heading to Lonavala, near Mumbai, to build 100 homes for the poor.
There are also plans to build 50,000 homes for 250,000 people in the next five years.
In an exclusive interview, Jimmy Carter Build Homes/Habitat International CEO, Jonathan Reckford, said on September 7 that their team of around 1,000 international volunteers, headed by Carter and his wife Rosalyn, will be in Lonavala between October 30 and November 3.
"This project has lot of emotional attachment for Jimmy Carter as his mother Lilian served in the Peace Corps many years back and she worked in the Lonavala area as a nurse helping local people.
This will be Carter's only second visit to India. In 1978, he had visited Haryana.
Reckford said, "We typically have 2,000 volunteers when we launch such a project, with about 1,000 of them being local people, and others 1,000 from an impressive array of countries.
"One of the things special about this project is that it brings together volunteers from the host country with volunteers from all around the world."
The first 100 homes will be given to local people who have already been selected by Habitat's local partners, an NGO called Abhinav Co-operative Credit Society, which has 600 shareholders of 48 registered groups in 26 villages.
When asked about the larger significance of this project, Reckford said, "It is a wonderful opportunity both to focus on need for affordable housing and also to jump start that effort by specifically creating 100 homes in one week."
The total price fixed is a mere Rs 100,000.
Reckford said, "We have been able to build homes in some parts of the world for as little as US$800 - $1,000.
But that's a very simple structure. In India also, these 100 homes would be very simple with rooms for a family of 4-5 people, with a bath room, plumbing, water, electricity, etc."
Reckford will also visit India with Jimmy and Roslyn Carter and hordes of international volunteers.
He said since the Habitat India program was launched about 23 years back, they have as of January this year built 12,000 homes and in addition 1700 homes were built in tsunami-affected areas in South India.
