Home Sweet Home
During COVID-19 lockdown, many of us have been blessed in developed countries to have adequate safe housing or government welfare to maintain our livelihoods. Unfortunately, in the Kingdom of Eswatini (Swaziland) it has not been the case.
We are calling upon our generous Possible Dreams community to support two families in dire need of new homes.
Each home built represents a place to study, cook meals and sleep, protected from harsh weather and danger. This project employs local Swazis and involves the family every step of the way. Once the house is completed, a small traditional ceremony celebrates this achievement and symbolises hope for a more secure future.
Family 1 - a family of nine
Gogo Sita* (or grandmother Sita) from Maphungwane lives with eight grandchildren in a very unsafe structure. If one of them were to be infected with the Coronavirus, it would be a disastrous situation. Gogo Sita is a widow who lives with her grandchildren because their parents (her daughter and husband) passed away due to HIV/Aids (a common situation in this country). It was then that gogo Sita had to take her grandchildren to come stay with her. The hut (see photo) that they live in now was built by the daughter when she was still employed. When the structure that her mother was using collapsed, she then had to take everyone into her hut, hence the all nine staying in one hut. PDI provides food to this family every month - we supply Mealie Meal packs (emergency meal supplement for nutrition). The family were referred to us by Home Based Care from the Good Shepherd Hospital as they check on their health regularly. Gogo Sita survives on the SZL 500 (AUD$42) per month on the elderly Grant that she gets from government every three months. See the photo of their current home:
Family 2 - a family of three
Three Chawla* orphaned girls living by themselves are currently staying in a cousin's house who now wants to kick them out. The PDI Team requested that he allows them to continue staying there until such time that we can raise funds to build them a two-room house. He agreed, but apparently, he is threatening the girls about eviction. The situation with the risk of COVID-19 has tensions running high.
Can the girls live on their own in a new home? The girls are 25, 17 and 13 years old, so in the new home, one of the girls will be old enough to be responsible. There is also a neighbour who checks up on them. Apparently, they also have a 31-year-old brother who is at the mental hospital. The Chawla kids have been living on their own for quite some time.
What is the risk of not building them a safe home? The Chawla kids are in the area where Transactional Sex is rife and we wouldn't want them to start engaging in that trade due to their circumstances. The Chawla girls were actually identified by the Rural Health Motivator who was showing our PDI Monash Medical students around Magwanyana. The group of students with our founder Dr. Maithri did the health assessment and that was when they found out that the older girl was actually involved in Transactional Sex due to poverty. They are orphans. Occasionally the oldest girl would get casual jobs at the Sugar Plantations, which was also where she found her clients.
How else are we helping the girls? The older girl is part of our women's empowerment project, the 'Amandla sewing project '. The three girls are now on our Mealie Meal (MM) distribution list and they receive monthly MM packs (food supplement). We also assisted the school-aged girls to register for the Orphans and Vulnerable Child fund for school support. We help them with school uniforms and we fund the school fees for the girl in Secondary school through our Volunteer Scholarship Fund.
When funds become available, we would need to build two x two-room houses.
A Two-room House would cost SZL 49,822.00 (AUD$4,210)
Together we can make these families' dreams of a safe home possible.
Siyabonga (Thank you)!
Learn more about our work during COVID-19 at Latest News Update on COVID 19
This is a Possible Dreams International Aid project - we also carry out Sustainability projects - learn more at www.possibledreams.org
*Family names have been changed to protect their identity and dignity.
We are calling upon our generous Possible Dreams community to support two families in dire need of new homes.
Each home built represents a place to study, cook meals and sleep, protected from harsh weather and danger. This project employs local Swazis and involves the family every step of the way. Once the house is completed, a small traditional ceremony celebrates this achievement and symbolises hope for a more secure future.
Family 1 - a family of nine
Gogo Sita* (or grandmother Sita) from Maphungwane lives with eight grandchildren in a very unsafe structure. If one of them were to be infected with the Coronavirus, it would be a disastrous situation. Gogo Sita is a widow who lives with her grandchildren because their parents (her daughter and husband) passed away due to HIV/Aids (a common situation in this country). It was then that gogo Sita had to take her grandchildren to come stay with her. The hut (see photo) that they live in now was built by the daughter when she was still employed. When the structure that her mother was using collapsed, she then had to take everyone into her hut, hence the all nine staying in one hut. PDI provides food to this family every month - we supply Mealie Meal packs (emergency meal supplement for nutrition). The family were referred to us by Home Based Care from the Good Shepherd Hospital as they check on their health regularly. Gogo Sita survives on the SZL 500 (AUD$42) per month on the elderly Grant that she gets from government every three months. See the photo of their current home:
Family 2 - a family of three
Three Chawla* orphaned girls living by themselves are currently staying in a cousin's house who now wants to kick them out. The PDI Team requested that he allows them to continue staying there until such time that we can raise funds to build them a two-room house. He agreed, but apparently, he is threatening the girls about eviction. The situation with the risk of COVID-19 has tensions running high.
Can the girls live on their own in a new home? The girls are 25, 17 and 13 years old, so in the new home, one of the girls will be old enough to be responsible. There is also a neighbour who checks up on them. Apparently, they also have a 31-year-old brother who is at the mental hospital. The Chawla kids have been living on their own for quite some time.
What is the risk of not building them a safe home? The Chawla kids are in the area where Transactional Sex is rife and we wouldn't want them to start engaging in that trade due to their circumstances. The Chawla girls were actually identified by the Rural Health Motivator who was showing our PDI Monash Medical students around Magwanyana. The group of students with our founder Dr. Maithri did the health assessment and that was when they found out that the older girl was actually involved in Transactional Sex due to poverty. They are orphans. Occasionally the oldest girl would get casual jobs at the Sugar Plantations, which was also where she found her clients.
How else are we helping the girls? The older girl is part of our women's empowerment project, the 'Amandla sewing project '. The three girls are now on our Mealie Meal (MM) distribution list and they receive monthly MM packs (food supplement). We also assisted the school-aged girls to register for the Orphans and Vulnerable Child fund for school support. We help them with school uniforms and we fund the school fees for the girl in Secondary school through our Volunteer Scholarship Fund.
When funds become available, we would need to build two x two-room houses.
A Two-room House would cost SZL 49,822.00 (AUD$4,210)
Together we can make these families' dreams of a safe home possible.
Siyabonga (Thank you)!
Learn more about our work during COVID-19 at Latest News Update on COVID 19
This is a Possible Dreams International Aid project - we also carry out Sustainability projects - learn more at www.possibledreams.org
*Family names have been changed to protect their identity and dignity.
Organizer
Possible Dreams International
Organizer
Forest Hill, VIC
Possible Dreams International
Beneficiary