August 3: The TAKE Solutions Masters next week will be more than just a golf tournament as the Asian Tour’s Sustainable Partner Habitat for Humanity pro-am will be played in support of India’s farmers’ widows. 

Habitat for Humanity hopes to raise awareness and funds when the US$350,000 Asian Tour event takes place at the Karnataka Golf Association from August 9 to 12.

Below is one of many stories which Habitat for Humanity hopes to highlight:

Broken by mounting debt and financial burden, Vidya’s husband Sahadev doused their hut in kerosene and set it ablaze. She threw her children out of the hut and jumped out. She says, “He chose death. But I didn’t want my children to be burnt alive”. 

Vidya is one of thousands of widows left behind by distressed farmers who were driven to suicide by the extreme agrarian crisis. After Sahadev’s demise, Vidya took to farming and tailoring jobs to support her family. However, standing up for herself and her children was not an easy task. There was no support from her family. Owing to poor financial conditions and losing her previous home to the disastrous fire, Vidya and her children shifted to a makeshift house. 

Habitat for Humanity India partnered with Vidya and helped her build a home of her own. "This home has given me a sense of dignity and pride. Today my children feel secure and so do I. They have their own space to study”, says Vidya   

For last 35 years, Habitat for Humanity India has been working with families like Vidya’s to build strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter.   

Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity began in 1976 as a grassroots effort. The housing organization has since grown into a leading global nonprofit working in over 70 countries. Habitat for Humanity India, founded in 1983, has supported over 16,57,462 people to build a place they can call home.  
 
This year, Habitat for Humanity serves as the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit partner for the 2018 season and is also Asian Tour’s “Sustainable Development Partner with the adoptions of Asian Tour’s season-long ranking as the “Habitat for Humanity Standings.” In March, Asian Tour golfers Shiv Kapur, Chiragh Kumar and Casey O’Toole built alongside future Habitat homeowners in Delhi.  

Globally, Habitat for Humanity is committed to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the New Urban Agenda including SDG 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. In India, Habitat’s work is aligned with the Government of India’s flagship programmes of “Housing for All” and “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.” 

Rajan Samuel, Managing Director, Habitat for Humanity India, said “We are proud to be the Sustainable Development Partner of the prestigious Asian Tour. Having a decent home is foundational for improving a family’s opportunity for health, education and economic well–being. We are hopeful that the partnership with Asian Tour and the enhanced visibility will enable us to scale our efforts to serve 60 million individuals by 2022 in need of decent shelter and sanitation.”  

By leveraging on Asian Tour’s global presence, Habitat for Humanity aims to move closer to its vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live. "We are proud to support and share the philosophy that through shelter, we can empower,” says Cho Minn Thant, COO of the Asian Tour. 

For more information, please visit www.habitatindia.in 

You can help by donating at this link: https://pgi.billdesk.com/habitat_for_humanity.htm