Amma's 50th Birthday Wish - Build Homes

Home is where the hearth is....

Latest photos of housing projects in Valasa, Akalivalasa, Obulaya palli, and Penubarthi.

(Update To see actual photos of the construction of the homes, please click here.)

Approximately 58,000 destitute villagers were denied their hearth and home when they were forcibly moved by the government into desolate areas when their villages were flooded to build a reservoir. This reservoir known as the Kandaleru Dam was actually started in 1983, and the storage of water has been underway since 1991.

These ill-fated villagers belonged to at least three mandals (administrative units) in the Nellore district namely Rapur, Kaluvoy, and Chejerla. In the Rapul Mandal, some of the distressed villages are: Penubarthi, Ramkur, Nagavaripalli, Lingampalayem, Suddhamala, Obulayapalli, Gopasamudram, Gundavolu, Nellepalli, Sankratipalli, and Pokurupalli. The villages of Dacchur and Kammavari Palli in the Kaluvoy mandal and Kolapanaidupalli in the Chejerla mandal were also submerged during the flooding.

These village dwellers were given inadequate funds to rebuild their homes and were forced to live in the most abysmal conditions, very often, not even fit for animals. Sorrowfully these people were forced to leave their homes; leave their dignity, roots and generations of tradition for shelters made of sticks, mud and blue tarps. In reality, they have nowhere else to go, to keep their body and soul together.

“I don’t want anything special done for my
50th birthday, except for my babies to build
houses for these people." ~ Amma

During the most opportune instance of Amma’s 50th Birthday, Amma is inaugurating the Jubilee Housing Project that will provide solid brick homes for 500 displaced families at the cost of $1600 each.

Under the auspices of the SMVA Trust, this project will undertake the building of a 180 sq. ft. livable single-room home for a family of four, with two doors and four windows on land measureming 55 x 80 ft. It will take approximately 45 to 60 days to build each home.

Click here to see layout plan of the homes.

Brick, cement and steel materials will be used for the walls and the floor. Roofs will be attached and the homes will also be painted. Every home will have a small kitchen, and the plan is for communal  toilets/bathhouses to be added later.

Tube wells will be provided as the nearby source of water for bathing or laundry. At present the people are using hand pumps, and the government electricity provided in this area. These villagers will also have access to the water from the new nearby dam.

SMVA Trust will use the following criteria in giving these homes.  First we will give homes to the scheduled tribes (ST) people only,

as they are the poorest in the region. Gandhi had coined the word “girijans” for the scheduled tribes in India. Second priority will be given to the scheduled castes (SC). These tribal people are mainly Hindus and there are about 5% to 6% Muslim and Christian population amongst the tribe. Ten percent of the residents are handicapped or ill with diabetes, rheumatism, and fever which are common illnesses in this area.

The average income of these families is about $40 a month. In addition to some subsistence  farming the type of occupation of these villagers is mostly collecting herbs, fruits, leaves etc. in the forest. These villagers are also being trained to build these homes and to be part of the process.

Amma’s mission is universal peace and upliftment of humanity through meditation, selfless service and love. No matter what religion one follows, whatever one's faith, in all faiths - charity begins at home, in the heart…

Your Help is Urgently Needed

Please join Amma in this very special undertaking, by sponsoring the building of a new home for a deserving family.

All donations are tax-deductible. Most importantly, the gratitude from the family you’ll be helping will be everlasting.

If you would prefer to download the Donation Form to mail in, please click here.

"It is our selfless actions alone
that will live forever." ~ Amma

For more information, please use the contact form.