Kerala Professor Has Taken Initiative To Build Houses For the Homeless And Underprivileged

The 60-year-old, Sunil MS, Pathanamthitta resident of Kerala, a recipient of the Nari Shakti Puraskar, has so far assisted in the construction of nearly 200 residences for the underprivileged in five districts, the journey that began in 2006. Agriculture Minister P Prasad handed over the key to the 204th house on Saturday. Two more houses have been completed, while six more are approaching completion.

She has assisted 42 homeless families to gain a roof over their heads since the pandemic outbreak. She also built 24 residencies for families who were displaced by the 2018 flood.

Since her childhood, she saw her parents helping the poor in her area. Her father M M Samuel, who died a couple of months ago, was a director and her mother worked as an educator . In 1995, Sunil began working as a lecturer in the Catholicate College's Zoology department.

According to the teacher, her father had expected his first child to be a male, thus she was given the name Sunil.

At the point when she turned into the program officer of the National Service Scheme of the school for the subsequent time, in 2006, the college began a program to build houses for the destitute. Despite the fact that they reported that any student without a protected place to live can move toward them, no one approached. During those announcements, one Student informed about a postgraduate student named Asha who was in quandary.

Asha and her family were living in a little shed made of plastic sheets. The entryway was the wrap of her salwar kameez, which she used to wear to school. They built a house for her spending Rs 1.19 lakh. They got a commitment of Rs 98,000 and the rest she found from her own savings.

After constructing Asha's house, her happiness motivated her to take the initiative and should do something for the homeless people.

Another instance of Kurumba, where she built a house for a homeless cancer patient in Kodumon. Till now she has built 206 homes for the homeless in the districts of Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kollam, Kottayam, and Ernakulam to date.

She had a dream of building a village by providing houses to homeless people. Several people including K P Jayalal, a native of Konni had joined hands with her.

At the moment, a 650 square foot house costs Rs 4 lakh. It has two bedrooms including one of which has an attached bathroom, a kitchen, and a hallway. We keep an eye on the construction and buy materials ourselves, which allows us to save money and deliver high-quality homes in just 20 days, she explained. Their activities are primarily directed at widows with children and patients.

Sunil also provides study materials to 1,000 pupils from government schools each academic year. She gave 13 laptops and three television sets to students during the last lockdown.