Sahara Nepal, a local non-governmental organisation, has constructed houses for 40 people from the disadvantaged Santhal community at Jhapa rural municipality in Jhapa district. Sahara Nepal built these shelters with the financial assistance of Habitat for Humanity.

Rural municipality chairman Jaya Narayan Saha said the houses were built in partnership with the rural municipality and have been handed over to the teargeted families at Lasuna of the rural municipality. Sahara’s executive director Mahendra Kumar Giri said each shelter cost Rs 220 thousand.

According to him, each house was constructed with Rs 75 thousand provided by Habitat for Humanity, Rs 75 thousand provided by the rural municipality and the rest in voluntary labour contribution by the house-owner.

The rural municipality has stated that construction of 100 more shelters has begun in partnership with Sahara. Rural municipality chair Saha said last year also 90 such shelters were constructed.

Sahara executive director Giri said 600 houses are under construction in Jhapa and Morang districts for the needy people of the disadvantaged communities. He added that the organisation shall construct 1,200 shelters in the next year and hand them over to the communities.