Building Homes

What We've Accomplished

100,000 Homes for the Homeless

In 1997, responding to cries for help from women who spent entire nights mopping rainwater out of their thatched huts, Amma initiated a house-building project, with a goal of building 100,000 homes throughout India.

To date, more than 45,000 homes have been built in over 75 locations. With an average of six people living in each of our houses, that means we’ve helped more than a quarter of a million people move from the streets or inadequate shelters into the safety and comfort of their very own home.

More than constructing houses, Embracing the World works to build entire communities, complete with town halls, roads, electricity, wells, sewage systems and clean drinking water. As part of our response to the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, homes have also been constructed in Sri Lanka and Andaman Island.

Pune, Maharashtra - Relocating Slumdwellers into New, Clean Apartments

We believe in durable and sustainable developments, and our apartment blocks for former slum dwellers are built to last. While the sites were under construction, we provided temporary housing for the slum-dwelling families, as well as medical camps and counseling. To date, we have successfully relocated 1,600 families from abysmal slums into clean, new apartment blocks, so they could begin their life anew in sunny, hygienic spaces with proper plumbing, water and electricity. But we didn’t stop there - read more about our efforts to improve quality of life for slumdwellers and former slumdwellers, including tutoring for children, adult education, regular medical check-ups and more.

Nairobi, Kenya - Amrita Children's Home

Spread across 11 acres on the banks of the Athi River, the Amrita Watoto Boma Children’s Home provides food, an English-medium education and healthcare in a loving environment. At present, the home has 78 children, and will expand to serve 108 children in January 2014. The children also take weekly yoga classes, and are taught creative arts, sewing and permaculture. The home is run with the assistance of four teachers, two cooks, a gardener and our volunteers. The children are selected from the neighboring villages after site visits by our volunteers to identify truly needy children whose parents or guardians cannot afford to provide for their basic needs.

The school library is kept open every Saturday for two hours for children from neighboring villages to read and enjoy our collection of books on various topics ranging from science, geography, philosophy, world languages, and general knowledge.

In Addition:

• Building not just 100,000 homes for the homeless but whole communities complete with town halls, roads, wells, electricity, sewage systems and clean drinking water

• 6,200 new homes for victims of the Indian Ocean Tsunami
• 2,000 new homes for flood victims in Raichur
• 1,200 new homes for victims of the Gujarat Earthquake in 2009