Absolute Poverty

Yesterday the 24th of August 2012 as part of the Whisper Community Work Program, we managed to pay a visit to Babirye Christine of Lukolo Village (5km from Mutai).

Christine is more less a single mother looking after 6 children;  boys and 3 girls.

Chronologically, Christine's children by age from the eldest to the youngest; Henry 15 years, Tony 9 years, Veronica 7 years (HIV positive), Joviah 5 years, Irene 3,5 years and Gerald 1 year old baby.

It's quite unfortunate that not only is Christine battling with absolute poverty and heavy family load, she also suffers from HIV/AIDS that has taken most of her peace. In our own ivestigation, we found out that her husband deserted the family after realizing that AIDS has set foot in the home.

He has ever since placed the blame on Christine saying she must be the cause of the disease. Christine is currently undergoing her routine HIV medication and she hopes to live a little longer.

As she narrated her ordeal, she told us that her husbad sometimes spends 9 months away from home with another wife and only returns to impregnate her. She currently enrolled for family planning as a means of controlling these unwanted pregnancies.

Christine built her house using her own hands; from foundation, looking for the poles, preparing the mud for the walls amont others. The entire family lives without proper beds; four children sleep on the floor and two of them squeeze on pieces of timber the whole night.

There are no plates to eat on, no cups and she borrows a basin and jerricans from the nighbour. This family lives without proper lighting.

In order to buy ten pieces of iron sheets for her house, sha had to hire away half of her land to a sugar can grower for a period of ten years for just 100.000 shilligns. (£25).

Whisper has reached to her again this afternoon and will work on providing more clothes for the children as each of them has only 1 piece of very dirty t-shirt and the youngest baby is living naked.

What really touched all of us is when we bought them a bar of soup for only 0.40p which can last them for the whole month, the young boy aged 9 years said with smile "I can finally wash my t-shirt".

See the items we provided to this family and which they didn't have...

TOTAL EXPENSES SO FAR:
Beds 160.000 (3 beds), 3 mattresses 120.000, warm blankets 2x20.000, Lamp 7.500, Basin 3.500, Cups 2.000, plates 4.000, sets of dishes 6.500, Bowls 4.000, Spoons 2.000, Laddle 1.000, Saucepans 12.500, Flask 7.000, Mosquito nets 20.000, Salt 2 sackets 2.000, Bar Soap 2.000, 2 boxes of matches 1.000, bathing soap

We are going to buy for them a jerry can and some clothes for the children and especially for the little baby.

We will put some photos once we manage to upload them.