CONSTRUCTION

In the village building programme, we select the poor, small and remote villages which are interested in development in all aspects with the help of VRO. Before we select a village, we explain the conditions to the villagers, and put them to tests and their participation in the programme is assessed. It is a long process of learning for the villagers, including youth and women. The villagers submit an application to VRO requesting to develop their village and are interested to learn village development activities. Every week the village representatives attend the meetings and learn the programme. They also visit the old villages which, were built by VRO to see and to meet villagers as to how they worked hard and developed their village.

The testing process takes a few months to about two years. Meanwhile, we prepare a detailed project proposal and send it to the sponsors abroad. The common site also will be cleared and made into one plot, fix the village boundaries, prepare a systematic layout with clear roads, common plots, house plots, etc,. We also explain the conditions during the construction programme and make the villagers understand it. The village council is also trained in that period. After the process is over we lay the village foundation stone with the visitors, if any or with the local govt. officials.

Then the villagers start making roads, dig drains as per the new village layout, also start preparations for tree plantation. If there is not much water facility in the village, we drill a borewell or two for starting the programme. Meanwhile, we collect the details of materials availability, take quotations and arrange materials for starting the work. During construction, one person from each family should work in the village. The beneficiaries do not know where their house is, we build the village in a learning aspect. The youth from the village should learn construction skills like carpentry, rod bending, centering, masonry, etc., during the construction. The school drop-outs should go to our BPTCs to learn skills in the center. The adults in the village should be able to read and write their names and small words. During the construction time we take the attendance of the beneficiaries for the days they present in the work. After completion of the village, basing on the presence in the work, we allot the houses for the beneficiaries. We prepare a detailed file for the process of village building programme and fix a date to inaugurate the village with the presence of the sponsors or by the local government officials. The people give the new name to the village, during inauguration; the villagers make an oath saying that they take part in maintenance and improvement of the village in all aspects.

SAPTASHEELAS applied to CONSTRUCTION Sector :

Construction to be truly Village building

  1. should provide security
  2. should be linked to learning
  3. should be community work
  4. should reveal newness
  5. should fit in with the natural environment
  6. should offer better future work opportunity
  7. should have equally sharable results.

PERSPECTIVES OF CONSTRUCTION

  1. Architecture is the best and perfect science because it needs all other sciences like Physical science, Environmental science, Social science, Climatology, Geology and so on. And building is learning.
  2. Architecture is also a safety/security factor. For instance, after a cyclone we build houses for safety. So also, a house is a safety measure against fire. A house is an asset, too.
  3. A house is a factor of dignity. A person is judged in accordance with the house he or
  4. she owns. The work on a house is never finished. One can always make improvement on it.
  5. A house also gives a sense of freedom. The owner of a house feels that he/she is not a
  6. beggar, is not on the streets.
  7. We build a house normally for a family.