MUMBAI: 173 Employees of Samsung C&T; headquartered in South Korea are working alongside the local community in Nandgoan village located in Karjat (Raigad district, Maharashtra) from December 10 – 14, 2018. The Samsung C & T team is here as part of its partnership with Habitat for Humanity India aimed at building homes for families in need of decent homes.
These future Habitat home-owners come from tribal communities who have been living in houses made of thatched walls and roofs for centuries.
For holistic development of the village, Samsung C&T and Habitat for Humanity India have built homes for 55 families in Nandgaon, Karjat, Maharashtra. The newly built homes were dedicated to the homeowners and the community in a traditional ceremony today in Nandgaon village. The partnership between Samsung C & T and Habitat India has also provided 55 families with waterwheels – a portable vessel that makes fetching drinking water from a nearby water source easier than having women headload multiple pots of water. In addition, Samsung C&T has stepped forward to support the youth of Karjat by setting up a smart classroom in Chafewadi Z.P. School. The smart classroom will provide 380 students with an access to laptops, smart t.v. and digital technology.
“We are delighted to be here to improve the living conditions of the villagers of Maharashtra. As a construction company, we recognize the importance of a ‘home’ in people’s lives and decided to support this project to continue our humanitarian presence in India after building a Samsung C & T village in Ambernath, Maharashtra in 2015 in partnership with Habitat India. Samsung C&T Corporation firmly believes in holistic growth of communities and will continue to contribute to the development of India with Habitat for Humanity,” said Sung Yong Um, Project Director Samsung C&T.
“Our aim is to transform the lives of the people living in the adivasi hamlets of Karjat by providing them access to decent shelter and sanitation. Through this partnership with Samsung C&T, we have been able to reach a step closer towards building a better and developed Karjat. We are grateful towards Samsung C & T and hope to have many such initiatives in future across India”, said Rajan Samuel, Managing Director, Habitat for Humanity India.
Karjat falls in the Raigad district of Maharashtra state which is home to several Adivasi (tribal) communities such as Thakar (or Thakur), Katkari, Kokna, Koli and Warli. In 2015, Samsung C and T and Habitat India’s partnership had built new homes for 50 families, sanitation units for 81 families and improved cook stoves for 131 families in Ambarnath (Thane district, Maharashtra) as part of Samsung Village 2 project.