It is our last day. As we drive through the beautiful countryside locals who,
when we had first arrived, viewed us with curiosity, now wave a greeting. And when we walk the last half kilometer to the house, “our” house the festive feel is palpable. The final thin cement coat is on the floor and looks great. The bricklayer and his two assistants are already hard at work finishing off the part of the wall that abuts the rendered lattice walls. The other villagers are busy decorating the house with balloons and bunting, silver balls that sparkle. The women are laughing and clearly plotting together as they help with the cooking or the decorating. Only later will we find out what they have in store.
As fast as we blow up the balloons the throng of kids gets bigger and bigger. Soon the ratio is one for the house two for the kids. They are wide eyed with delight. The little ones ecstatic when we carefully tie a balloon to their arm so it doesn’t fly away. A tub of soapy water appears and suddenly the air is filled with bubbles, a kaleidoscope of colour in the bright sunlight. I can’t remember the last time I saw a child so genuinely delighted with such a modest present or moments of fun. When their excitement gets the better of them and they intrude too far into the preparations for the hand-over, one of the village elders roars at them and they run off, laughing in delight.
The official ceremony begins. We gather, our team and the community, blended together by a week of working together and the feeling of achievement. There are chairs for the Habitat Australia team, officials from Habitat Nepal and our partner organization Forward. A brand