Posted: 28th February 2017
We first visited Rose at her home in July 2016 and we agreed with the community decision that she needed and deserved help. Rose has four children and also herself suffers from Elephantiasis in one of her legs. Life is not easy here with the regular need to fetch water, living in houses that need regular repair and being content with your children sleeping on rags that serve as a mattress.
But, Rose also has another challenge. Her husband Moses suffers from epilepsy and was absent when we visited – a sad and common issue of alcoholism in the community. Moses is an intelligent man, having passed his primary and secondary education and possessing good English language skills, but tragically his condition means that work is limited for him – both physically and because of stigmas attached to epilepsy in the local community. The land they live on is Moses’ ancestral land and there is pressure on them to move so the land can be taken over.
Our team of volunteers returned to the village a few days later to help construct the roof frame, achieved in just a few hours and later thatched, completing Rose’s new home and providing a safe and dry environment for her and her family. Through the generosity and love of our volunteers, we were also able to provide mattresses and new cooking utensils for Rose, which may seem small gestures, but to her it’s life-transforming.
