Arjun and Ranjan are a married couple in their early thirties. They have two gorgeous children – a boy 11 and a girl 9.

Poverty is common in India as many already know. They are from a lower-caste family – sometimes known commonly as 'untouchables' – and literally, live on the edge of society in the outskirts of a provincial village, Kinkhlod, in the state of Gujarart.

Arjun, Ranjan and their two kids were living in the most basic 2x5 metre shelter – house or home would be overstating it. It was a basic, temporary refuge with bricks and mortar for two walls connected to another building, a corrugated iron roof. They also had no bathroom facilities. The walls were built without any foundation and the walls were not 'keyed' into the other building.

Both Arjun and Ranjan work by cleaning and maintaining houses in the local community. While they earn enough to get by, their income is insufficient to cover the significant costs of building a home.

Since the flood, they have been living with Ranjan's family in another village. The kids have had to change school and they are all living with this ongoing instability and uncertainty. Arjun's parents continue to live in the flood hit area sleeping outside under a corrugated shelter seen in the photo here.

All this has taken its toll on both Arjun and Ranjan. I explained to them over the last day that I am going to try to raise funds for them and that we have raised €1,200 (₹1,00,000 INR). They broke down in tears! All their pent up emotion just poured out of them. Arjun had not wanted to show his emotion and he had felt embarrassed that he could not provide for his family. We hugged and I told them we were going to do what we can to help them.

It is incredible to see Arjun and his family together. They are still smiling even as they face adversity each and every day. His mother was so warm when I visited them recently while gathering more details about the flood and what was required to rebuild the house.

The positive and uncomplaining attitude of those with so little, and how they patiently endure hardship, is so humbling.

The rebuild project will be planned in such a manner to ensure that future monsoon events will not result in a repeat collapse. The plans for the rebuild are detailed here and I will provide regular updates over the coming months.

We will start by knocking down the buildings and putting in solid foundations. We will also make sure that the land washed away in the flood is replaced and bolstered with large boulders and new trees. Arjun and his wider family will be contributing with their time and labour to reduce the costs as much as possible.

I intend to work with Arjun over the coming months and years to build his skills so that he can own his own business and be able to strive for a better life. Hopefully, with your help, his children will have more opportunities in life and they can break free from the poverty trap.