Beyond Homeownership: Palhashsada’s Story Of Devotion And Inspiration

For Palhashsada and her family, a safe and decent place to call home was considered out of reach.

A proud mother of four girls and a breadwinner in her family alongside her husband, Palhashsada belongs to one of the most marginalised communities in the eastern lowland region, Sambhunath Rural Municipality in Nepal.

Until a few years ago, Palhashsada and her family had been sheltering in a temporary refuge made of hay and mud. It was an impossible dream to buy land and build her own house, only earning between $1.90 - $2.50 NZD a day.

Palhashsada would take on several seasonal agricultural jobs to provide for her daughters, walking nearly three hours each day to the jungle to fetch heavy bundles of wood to sell at the markets, carrying them on her head.

When the Habitat Nepal team started the construction of homes in Sambhunath, Palhashsada was delighted to become the new homeowner of a cement, bamboo framed home. Her and her husband rolled up their sleeves and helped build the home alongside Habitat.

Owning a decent home freed Palhashsada and her husband to focus on other priorities.

Now two of their daughters are doing their undergraduate courses in Nepal’s capital city, and the younger ones are in high school in Saptari. Palhashsada is proud to give her daughters the opportunity she never had.

"This whole process of owning a home has been incredibly exciting and emotionally rewarding for our family. I am the only woman in my community to be able to provide an education for my daughters and help them to reach university!"

Over a period of two years, Habitat Nepal has worked with 14 families in Saptari, Sambhunath Rural Municipality, to build cement bamboo framed cottage homes.

This is how Habitat's work ensures long-term, generational impact.

With your support, we can ensure more Nepali women like Palhashsada can not only access a safe and decent place to live, but are financially empowered.