Help Daniel and Maren Find a New Home

Daniel and Maren are in need of a new home.  They have been working with community development and prevention of human trafficking in the Himalayas for almost 14 years.  It is their goal to make farming communities less vulnerable to Human Trafficking. This is done by working with communities, families and individuals.  They run women’s empowerment programs, child protection training, and they work to help people train in business, build business or get resources for their businesses.  By doing this, people are not are not seeking employment in bigger cities or abroad and are less vulnerable to trafficking.  Maren and Daniel have been living on a non-profit salary that shifts with the success of fundraising.  They often put a lot of that money back into the communities where they work.

At the beginning of the pandemic, their landlord informed them that he would not renew their lease because his daughter will be moving into the building and will require that apartment.  This family of four now have an additional family member (Daniel’s mom) living with them since the start of the pandemic, which means they need more room.  Maren and Daniel often share their house with people from the villages who come to town for medical needs and other business. A house of their own will help them to continue to host people in their community. 

The housing market in Darjeeling moves quickly and is usually dominated by cash offers. Many of the homes for sale are quite costly at baseline and often require repair. This is a challenge for Daniel and Maren, as they straddle the worlds of the U.S. and India, not qualifying for a loan in either context, because of their work under the umbrella of a U.S. organization and an Indian residency.  They searched for the majority of last year for a loan that would work in this context, but were unable to find one.

Daniel and Maren are seeking to purchase a house, both as a place to live now, as well as an investment for the future. Finding a house has been a huge stress on them this past year.  On top of that was the pandemic and a lot of loss in their community.  A house would help them to be settled and focus more on helping the community that they love.  They have found a place that is well suited to their needs, with enough room for their family, ample sunlight to prevent mold, access to potable water and proximity to friends. In order to move forward, we are looking to raise $110,000 USD for their family to purchase the house. We know that they will continue to pay forward any money they receive, looking for future opportunities to bless others as they have been blessed. Please consider joining them in prayer, as well as with a financial donation, to find a new home that can meets the needs of their family and serve as a place of hospitality in the future.