Support Om's Dream of a Secure Family Home

Om is my Indian “brother.” He and his family have been pen-friends with me for a couple of years. They live in Rajasthan. Om and I have listened to each other from the heart—his struggles, his successes, and challenges. He has built a few huts on the land he inherited from his family, which he rents out via Airbnb.

He and his wife and kids need a solid structure for permanent residence. In the past, during the rains and winds, they have no space to retreat comfortably. A car? A tiny kitchen area? Not enough for one person, let alone four.

They really need a more modern local house, with a roof that can withstand the rainy season and architecture that protects against the desert's high summer heat.

With climate change, the Thar Desert in Rajasthan is experiencing more and more heat every year, as well as unprecedented rainfall.

Om's small tourist business (a contraction of his full name Onkar Ram) enables him to feed his family and maintain the premises, as well as the small 4x4 that enables him to pick up his guests in town. He also provides for his children's education and his wife's care. But his income doesn't allow him to start building.

For the time being, the family sleeps outside.

This GoFundMe will help him to buy the materials and obtain the manpower needed to build the house.

Om and his family adored PJ. They called him “nephew and cousin” and even FaceTimed him on his birthday to sing to him. He was always so curious about this heart-family across the world.

My community has been so supportive of my family this year. I want to pay it forward to my dear friends to help them build this small home. Om plans to call it “The PJ Residence.”