March 2008: As we begin to establish Khuda Ki Basti-4, Saiban's housing development, on
the outskirts of Lahore,
there are some things I fear, and others I look forward to as the community
begins to take root. Within this new
settlement there has been a host of exciting ‘firsts' happening, reflecting
that the community we have dreamed of building for so long is finally taking
shape.
In October 2006, as the first homes went up and Khuda Ki Basti began to expand,
we had our ‘first' resident, Nazli Javed, a very brave woman. Nazli is an extremely energetic woman in her
early 50s who is an active worker in the Labour Party of Pakistan. Before Saiban, Nazli had been living in a
tiny rental unit with her son and his family, and she had only dreamed of
purchasing a house with a salary of US$100/month. When I first met her, she was clear about
moving to the new site-come what may. At
one point I told her, ‘The monsoon season is coming, and the locals say that
flooding is an issue in some years'. Her
response: ‘When it rains in Lahore,
I walk through sewage water up to my knees-so a little rain water doesn't scare
me'.
After interacting with our staff a few times, Nazli put her trust in our
institution and moved to a place where, initially, there was no sign of future
development - no electricity, no sewage system, no neighbors, no parks, no
roads, nothing! But she did it, and today she has successfully convinced many
of her friends to move to the development-most recently her son has booked a
home for the coming month.
Then came Khuda Ki Basti's ‘first' baby, followed by its first convenience
store, first block completed, first park, first school, and first mosque. In September we celebrated our first
Ramadan/Eid holiday, and in December 2007,
we celebrated the first mortgage ever given to a low-income homeowner in Pakistan.
Historically, no lending institution has been willing to extend mortgages to
our target market-primarily because their sources of income are rarely
documented and recovery for such small amounts tends to carry high costs. House Building Finance Institution has taken
this bold step by partnering with Saiban, relying on its community based
approach to development.
Naturally, with all of these exciting positives came more difficult ‘firsts'
for Khuda Ki Basti that are often part of life for all communities. We had our ‘first' eviction (because the
resident was not living on site), first hospitalization, and sadly, our first
death, of a Saiban employee, due to cancer.
And, on January 13th, 2007, we experienced the shock of our first fire!
One of the residents had forgotten about a light bulb that was left on when
the power went out. When the power came back, the bulb was too close
to some clothing and eventually caught fire. The poor family lost all of
their belongings, worth about $700, but thankfully no one was hurt and everyone
got out in time.
With the signs of a new community quickly materializing, Saiban has been
able to provide the answers to life-long prayers of many residents. Folks that before only dreamt about their
kids playing in open green parks and attending good schools in a healthy environment
are ecstatic at the thought of the real opportunities that will be available
for them here. As the community develops
and becomes more empowered by the day, it is a hope in my heart that next time
there is a fire, the community members will have a mechanism to cope-such as
creating a form of social insurance.
The site of the current housing project - a stretch of
non-arable land amidst green fields-used to be a place known for dog fights. The local impression was that the site
selection was incorrect for a multitude of reasons, and that Saiban would fail
miserably with this project. Two years
after the purchase of land, with over 90 bookings and a population of 120 that
is increasing monthly, everyone is a believer.