Through the Seasons

Mama’s House

Right now Mama lives in a 3 room house (bedroom, sitting room, kitchen/bedroom) with no electricity or water.  Her kids get up in the morning, take buckets to a water supply somewhere, fill the buckets, carry them back on their heads, take baths with the water, change clothes, maybe eat something, then either run or bike to separate schools. 

They have gotten more and more concerned about their home lately because when a car passes by (and they are right off the main road) the house shakes terribly.  The windows aren’t covered with glass.  There are huge cracks in the walls.  I’m not sure what they do for a bathroom but that apparently has some sort of “issue”.  (It’s not a flush style – I do know that – but I don’t know the current problem they’re having.)

Recently they found a house that someone was selling for $2,300 but would sell to them for $1,500.  They have gotten help to be able to purchase the house and they are extremely excited.  We went to see it expecting – well – not what we found.  Basically it is a shell.  Walls with cutouts for doors and windows and brick walls inside separating rooms.  They LOVE it. 

They now have a ton of work to do on the house and have gotten help in getting that done as well.  They will be putting in windows and doors.  They’ll be putting concrete over the brick walls and on the dirt floors.  They may even get ceilings.  There are a few big gaps in the roof that we’re planning to help them fix.  Currently they are doing all they need to do to be able to move in as soon as possible such as putting a “bathroom” out back.

Their dream is to have electricity so the kids can study at night and to have running water so the kids don’t have to fetch water every day.  What a lifestyle change if they accomplish that!  Later they want things like:  an indoor bathroom, sinks in the bathroom and kitchen, beds for their kids, security fence around the property, garden…

We asked them what color they were going to paint outside and it stumped them.  Later Jonathan and I were driving around looking to see what most people do and – well – they don’t.  Oops.  There is sometimes some trim paint so I guess they may do that but that would be quite an “extra”.  I’m sure it doesn’t top their priority list.

We’re so, so excited to see how the house turns out.  the problem though is that eventually we won’t be able to see the whole thing anymore as they section off their homes here to allow guests only into the sitting room.  We’ll have to get as much of a view now as we can.