Colony of 17 houses in Kothachevuru. Source: Vicente Ferrer Foundation
Colony of 17 houses in Kothachevuru. Source: Vicente Ferrer Foundation
Construction of houses in Kothachevuru. Source: Vicente Ferrer Foundation
Construction of houses in Kothachevuru. Source: Vicente Ferrer Foundation

Social Issue

Although the Indian Constitution of 1950 establishes that no one will be discriminated against because of their caste, the reality for the Dalits, the humblest in India, is quite different. They live in conditions of extreme poverty and suffer great economic inequality and social discrimination.

The situation experienced by children is particularly serious. A high percentage of Dalit boys and girls do not attend or drop out of school before finishing primary school, forcing them to work on the street or beg. In the case of girls, it is even worse, since being a Dalit woman involves triple discrimination by caste, class, and gender. With the idea of dealing with this situation, this house construction project is carried out, in order to dignify and improve the quality of life of all these people.

Our Response

The Vicente Ferrer Foundation works in the field of housing, offering the lowest castes, with hardly any resources, a suitable home. These people often live in shacks located in neighborhoods far from the areas where the most privileged castes live. With the contribution of the Netri Foundation, it is expected that a total of 17 houses can be built to form a new colony in which the most disadvantaged people of the Kothachevuru area can live.

The project’s primary objectives are as follows:

  • To offer housing to people from the most disadvantaged castes.
  • To end as much as possible with the caste dynamics that grips southern India.

Expected Social Impact

It is expected to benefit 17 families from the lowest castes in the town of Venugopalapura.