Pooja Gawali shared a crampedcramped/kræmpt/L2狭窄的，拥挤的too small and having very little space for people or things., one-room shack with her husband and his family. The walls were tin sheets, and the roof leaked when it rained. She never felt relaxed because there was no privacyprivacy/ˈprɪvəsi/L1隐私，独处The state of being alone and not watched or disturbed by others.. In 2022, her life changed completely. She moved into a new apartment in a building called Swapnapurti, which means 'a dream fulfilled' and has 33 units for families from the old slum.
The new apartment has a kitchen, a bathroom with running water, and a balcony, and the building has a central courtyardcourtyard/ˈkɔːrtjɑːrd/L1庭院，院子An open area with no roof, surrounded by walls or buildings. with plants and benches. This shared space is safe for children to play and cool during hot weather. The project is a partnership between families, the local government, and charities. Each family paid 10% of the building cost, which was about $1,000. The architects used special bricks to keep the homes cool.
'I relishrelish/ˈrelɪʃ/L2享受，喜爱，品味to enjoy something very much. the privacy I have now,' says Pooja. 'It's a joy to be able to live freely.' The project shows how community-led design can transformtransform/trænsˈfɔːrm/L2转变；改造to change something completely, usually in a way that improves it. lives. It won a Silver award for sustainablesustainable/səˈsteɪnəbl/L2可持续的able to continue over a long period of time without harming the environment. housing. As a result, many other families are hoping to join the project.
