Saturday, June 07, 2008

Dalit Village




After the fisherfolk community, we went to a Dalit (untouchable) community. The kids were so cute, they all wanted their photo taken! After the tsunami, all of the homes in the dalit community were destroyed. With Oxfam money, a local NGO rebuilt all of their houses, and the dalits are very happy. Their homes before were thatched huts with dirt floors. Now their homes are made out of concrete and have fans and water from a tap. The dalits got to choose between several types of houses, and the type of house they chose was built. I was invited into one of the homes, and the concrete structure and the fan did a nice job of keeping the house cool. One thing I think the homes are missing is some shady areas, because the homes are basically concrete cubes. Some of the villagers took matters into their own hands and added thatched "awnings" to their homes...very smart!




The houses behind are what the NGO built, and the thatched structures in front are what the old homes looked like.

2 comments:

Tracy said...

the homes are wonderful~ and what gorgeous faces on the children! I am sure they love having you there~
xxoo

Janet said...

That reminds me of the concrete homes that the Government built in Guam. However, the people did have to get SBA loans for them. I am wondering if the people work? What does NGO mean? I have forgotten what Untouchables mean? What an experience.