NGC gives $250,000 to Habitat for Humanity

THE NATIONAL GAS COMPANY, now celebrating its 30th anniversary,  is taking a new step as a corporate citizen,  in that “it is committed to providing Habitat for Humanity with the annual sum of $250,000 for the period  2005-2009  so that every year five homes would be built  for families in urgent need.” Frank Look Kin, president of  NGC, presented a cheque for $250,000, for the first year to Chanka Seeterram,  TT’s chairman for Habitat for Humanity, a worldwide independent, non profit, non-politicised housing ministry  that is non-discriminatory in the selection  of prospective homeowners, with affiliates in 100 countries.

Look Kin said that the “project was close to my heart  as well as being very important  to the country.” He said that the NGC was partnering with the Habitat for Humanity “to provide homes for members of our fenceline communities who are in most urgent need of a basic human right- decent shelter.” Habitat for Humanity, internationally has constructed over 200,000 houses  in partnership with families and communities, and expects to build approximately another 100,000 homes in Latin America and the Caribbean region by the year 2006. In Trinidad and Tobago it is estimated  that 500 houses would be built over the next five years.

The organisation was established in 1976  in the USA by Millard and Linda Fuller  “as a means of tangibly impacting the problem of poverty housing,” according to facts stated in a Profile of the organisation. The group is targetting  low-income  earners  whose salary is between $1,000 and $3,000 per month. The Programme has been described as “neither give-away nor micro-credit in the traditional sense of the word.  All future homeowners are required to work within a self-help framework, not just on their own home but also on the homes of other families within the community.  It is not a hand-out but a hand-up for those in need and selection is based on urgency.”

A challenge has gone out “to persons from all walks of life  to work with Habitat for Humanity  to make an impact  on the number of persons living in substandard shelter  and to get your hands dirty  and toil under the sun  with people from different backgrounds, usually people  with whom  you would not normally have interacted  and watch all the barriers  disappear, creating room for mutual understanding, respect and appreciation,” the profile stressed. A two-bedroom, one bath, house  costs TT $58,000, with a mortgage payment of $200-$300 per month over a 15 year period;  while a one bedroom starter will cost $30,000 and a three bed-room house is priced at TT $68,000.

It has also been planned to make loans available for renovation work to owner-occupied beneficiaries. Continuing his address at the function to hand over the $250,000, Look Kin said that the NGC’s pipelines  run through several areas —Guayaguayare, Moruga, Barrackpore, La Brea, and Couva — where first hand needs for shelter were seen of many residents. He said that NGC has responded with this partnership  to make an impact  on our fence line communities through extensive and varied social welfare  outreach programmes.

He urged other corporate citizens, as well as employees of NGC  “to consider becoming a Habitat for Humanity partner.” The five families who will be receiving homes for the first year are — Rhona Joseph of Couva;  Natasha Sinaswee, of  Couva;  Virginia David of Freeport; Leslie Nawrang of California, and  Indarjit Sukdeo of Carapichaima.