Ntsebeng Motsoeli
MASERU — A family of four orphaned children and a baby have a place to call home, thanks to a Dutch women team that constructed a house and a pit latrine. About 14 Dutch women on a Global Village trip stopped in Ha Foso in Berea to participate in the building of the home, said Habitat for Humanity in a press statement. The Friday rains came in handy to soak five vegetable gardens that the team prepared for the family.
“The start of November saw a team of 14 Dutch women take off their heels and with a hammer in hand; participate in building a new home for a family of four orphaned children and one baby in Ha Foso in Berea District,” said Habitat for Humanity. “The team was in the country for a week starting November 3 and by the end of that week, they had nearly completed constructing a two-roomed house, dug a pit latrine and prepared five vegetable gardens for the family,” it said.
The Global Village trip is a Habitat for Humanity programme that enables volunteers globally to contribute as well as participate in addressing shelter needs, especially in developing countries. This was the second Global Village team in the country on such a mission which happened three weeks after the departure of another Dutch volunteer team of 24 who built two homes for two families earlier last month.
The team built together with the grandmother of the orphaned children as well as some of the older children of the family. Jennifer Lemke, the National Director for Habitat for Humanity Netherlands who was also the team leader of the group said people are able to lead better lives when they have a home.
“A woman with a house is less dependent and from her own home, she can start a shop or small business that enables her to support her family. A house is a safe and hygienic basis for a better life. It helps to ensure that the residents are sick less often,” Lemke said. “The women can work and children can go to school. They also learn about the dangers of HIV/Aids and how to prevent the disease. And that may well become a very important lesson, a lesson that contributes positively to the life of future generations,” she said. a
Comments are closed.