Home Sweet Home — Possible Dreams International

During the COVID-19 lockdown, many of us have been blessed to have adequate safe housing or government welfare to maintain our livelihoods. Unfortunately, in the Kingdom of Eswatini (Swaziland) this 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 will represent a place to study, cook meals and sleep, protected from harsh weather and danger. This project will employ local Swazis and involves the family every step of the way. Once the house is complete, a small traditional ceremony will be held to celebrate the achievement and will symbolise 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 (pictured). 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. The hut that they live in now was built by her daughter and is now in an unliveable state. Gogo Sita survives on SZL 500 (AUD$42) per month from the Elderly Grant that she receives from the government. PDI also provides food to this family every month through the Mealie Meal (MM) Program.

Family 2 - a family of three

Three Chawla* orphaned girls are currently staying in their extended family’s home, however are facing eviction as tensions run high with the risk of COVID-19. The PDI Team has requested that they are allowed to continue staying there until such time that we can raise funds to build the girls a house.

The girls are 25, 17 and 13 years old, and have lived on their own for quite some time. The Chawla girls are in an area where Transactional Sex is rife. Unfortunately, the older girl has occasionally been involved in Transactional Sex due to the dire poverty. PDI has since helped enrol her in our women's empowerment project, the 'Amandla Sewing Project '. The three girls are now on our Mealie Meal (MM) distribution list and 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 hope to build two-room houses for each of the families.

A Two-room House would cost SZL 49,822.00 (AUD$4,210)

To support his project, please visit our Home Sweet Home Campaign.

Together we can make these families' dreams of a safe home possible.