Home is a place that brings safety and comfort. It’s a place where lives are built and sustained. In the village of Bhujabala in Odisha, India, a 62-year-old widow Nilai struggled for years to have adequate housing. Despite her limited income, she longed for a safe and permanent home. With determination and the support of the community-led development process in Bhujabala, she now has a place she can proudly call home.
Housing Challenges in Rural India
Nilai’s previous home was a typical example of kutcha housing. This is a term used in rural India to describe structures made from temporary or perishable materials such as mud walls, bamboo framing, and thatched straw roofs. While these homes are often the most affordable option for low-income families, they are inherently fragile and unsuited for long-term use. This is especially the case in regions like Odisha that experience heavy seasonal rainfall. For Nilai, the thatched roof was a constant source of stress. It offered little protection, leaking during each monsoon. Every year, she had to replace the straw roofing, which was a labor-intensive and expensive task that strained her already limited income.
Nilai’s struggle is far from unique. Across India, nearly 40% of rural homes are classified as kutcha or semi-permanent structures. They are built with materials that degrade quickly in harsh weather conditions. These homes often lack basic amenities such as sanitation, electricity, or clean cooking fuel. This forces many residents to burn firewood or cow dung, which poses serious health risks, particularly for women and children.
The housing issue in India is pervasive
According to Pritam Ghosh’s research with the University of Calcutta, estimated 43 million rural families in India still lack access to safe and durable housing. Even modest improvements can be out of reach for families without secure land titles or access to credit. Programs such as the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana–Gramin (PMAY-G) aim to close this gap by offering financial support to build durable homes. However, the subsidy typically covers only a portion of construction costs. As a result, families like Nilai’s must often rely on savings, loans, or the sale of existing assets just to build a safe and stable home. And without stronger infrastructure, more inclusive housing finance, and better local implementation, millions of rural families remain trapped in a cycle of poverty and precarious living conditions.
Building Connections and Accessing Resources
The village of Bhujabala began its community-led development journey with Outreach International in January 2023. Before launching any formal development efforts, a Human Development Facilitator (HDF) from Outreach frequently visits the community to listen, understand local needs, and build trust through ongoing dialogue. It was during one of these meetings on poor housing conditions that Nilai met Sanjeev, the Outreach HDF for Bhujabala.
Inspired by the discussion, Nilai took action. She applied for government assistance and received $1,547 through the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana, the ministry of rural development supported by the Government of India. She then sold her old home for $1,190 and combined the funds to help her pay for the labor and construction of her new home. Once she had the funds to begin, her son and daughter in law helped Nilai arrange all of the raw materials for the build. Next, she hired local mason and community members for the construction of her dream home.
Sanjeev, Outreach India Team helping facilitate a community meeting in Bhujabala (Wayne Rowe, 2024).
Building and maintaining strong relationships with resource networks is essential to ensuring a community’s long-term success—especially once the community graduates. Community graduations are a milestone that signifies dedication and progress. After 3-5 years, community members celebrate the growth of their community and the challenges they came together to resolve.
Outreach connects community leaders with external partners, institutions and resource networks for communities to have additional support in making their solutions a reality. These networks include government departments, philanthropic organizations, local businesses, foundations, and even individual supporters. When community groups take ownership of this process, they gain the tools to lead their own development. This not only helps them achieve immediate goals, like safe housing, but also builds lasting capacity to solve future challenges and reach even greater milestones.
A New Place to Call Home
With support from her community-based organization and government resources, Nilai finally achieved her dream of a safe, dignified home—one she now shares with her son and daughter-in-law. Built on her own land, the new concrete house includes a hall, kitchen, bedrooms, and access to electricity. But beyond these essentials, Nilai and her family were able to incorporate several meaningful and practical features into their new space:
- Tank water point providing easier access to water
- Private bathroom offering improved hygiene and comfort
- Kitchen with a cooking stove
- Worship room where Nilai and her family can practice religion
- Common room where the family can gather, relax, and entertain themselves together
The home not only offers protection and stability—it reflects Nilai’s values, daily needs, and sense of pride. She celebrated the new beginning with a joyful feast, sharing a meal with neighbors and loved ones who supported her along the way. Nilai’s new home stands as a symbol of what’s possible when individuals are empowered, communities come together, and sustainable development takes root.
Transforming Lives Beyond Poverty
Nilai’s journey is a powerful reminder that lasting change begins when people realize they have the power to lead their own development. Her new home is more than a shelter—it’s proof that collaboration and determination succeed. It’s the result of the shared belief that every person deserves a life of dignity and opportunity. This is the heart of Outreach International’s mission: to support community-led solutions that create long-term, sustainable impact. By fostering collective action, building partnerships, and nurturing leadership at the local level, communities across India—and around the world—are overcoming poverty one step at a time. As Sanjeev, the Human Development Facilitator for Bhujabala, reflected: “Alone, we can do so little. Together, we can do so much.”
Nilai’s story is just one example of transformation in motion. Meet more community members who are shaping their futures:
- Kistoma’s Story: A Home Transformed
- Sasmita’s Story: How Clean Water Transformed Her Life
- Literacy India: Geeta’s Success Story
Together, these stories reflect a growing movement—one where the power to build a world beyond poverty lies within each community.
How to Help
Be a Builder of a Better World
You can help make more homes like Nilai’s a reality. When communities lead and supporters like you step up, change begins. You can inspire the next story of transformation for a woman like Nilai, a community, and a generation of people. Donate today.
