Homes with mud walls and floors become miserable places if the roof leaks and people may have to stand or huddle in a dry spot during the night. The area has over 1600mm (65 inches) of rain per year.

Soshamma's hut

Soshamma and her goat

Soshamma's new house

How we help...

We complete fairly substantial cement block houses which have stood unfinished for months or very often years.

Government grants can help with housing, enough to build the walls but there is never enough money to finish a building.

Many people take out loans to begin building a house, but high interest payments or bad management (due to lack of education) prevent them from completing the building.

We finish walls, put a roof on, screed floors and provide windows and doors.

We repair poorly built bamboo, mud brick, or burnt brick houses.

We also repair houses damaged by monsoon rains, landslip or the voracious white ants.

We build simple low cost burnt brick and tin sheet homes.

Operation Monsoon is The Banyan Tree's project to alleviate chronic housing problems among the poorest people.

Over several years we have helped many people to have a secure and substantial home, some for the first time.

The smallest of gifts makes a HUGE difference.