For Bindu and Basappa, a young tribal couple with three children, monsoon nights once meant fear.
Each time heavy rains swept across the Western Ghats, water streamed through the fragile thatched roof of their hut. The young couple with their children would huddle together in the driest corner they could find, waiting for the storm to pass. Nights were long and uncertain. Without toilets or sanitation facilities, even basic daily needs meant stepping outside, often after dark, with the very real risk of encountering wild animals.
Their story was not an isolated one.
Bindu and Basappa are members of the Jenu Kuruba community, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) indigenous to Karnataka’s Western Ghats. For years, their family, along with nine other forest-dwelling tribal families across five villages in Mysore district, lived without secure housing or sanitation. Their shelters offered little protection from heavy rains, and the absence of toilets affected both dignity and health. Uncertainty shaped daily life.
That changed this year.
Through its Corporate Responsibility program, Wayfair partnered with the Abhyudaya Foundation, a Bengaluru-based non-governmental organization (NGO) focused on empowering tribal and socially disadvantaged communities, to support the construction of 10 permanent homes. The goal was simple and meaningful: provide safe, stable housing for families who had long gone without it.
The homes were built as part of the Abhyudaya Foundation’s Economic Housing Project for tribal and forest-dwelling families. The collaboration reflects Wayfair’s commitment to sustainable development and meaningful community partnerships.
These homes provide safety, sanitation and stability — and for the families who moved in, they offer privacy, security and peace of mind.
To mark the occasion, the Wayfair India team, led by Site Leader Rohit Kaila, traveled to a village near Nagarhole Forest to inaugurate the homes and hand over the keys to the families.
When Bindu received the keys to her new home, she became emotional. She shared that her family would no longer face sleepless nights during the rains or worry about safety after dark. For her children, this house means growing up with greater security. For the family, it marks the beginning of a new chapter rooted in stability and dignity.
A secure roof.
A door that locks.
A private bathroom.
For many, these are everyday realities. For Bindu and nine other families, they represent meaningful change.
At Wayfair India, we often speak about building technology, teams and solutions for customers across the globe. Through our partnership with Abhyudaya, we were able to combine our resources with their local expertise, to help create safer living conditions and greater opportunity for tribal and forest-dwelling families.
When we expand access to safe housing, we help turn hope into a place families can finally call home.