Limpho Sello
A PHAHAMENG family in Morija village recently received a two-roomed house and a Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) latrine from Habitat for Humanity Lesotho.
The donation was made possible after Habitat for Humanity enlisted the services of 14 Canadians volunteers who facilitated the building of the house for the Ramakopalane family who were orphaned when their parents passed away in 1999 and 2009 due to Tuberculosis (TB) related illnesses.
At the time of their parents’ passing, Ms Lineo Ramakopalane who was still a minor, became the head of the family which had three other siblings.
Ms Ramakopalane expressed her delight at finally having their own home, saying, “I’m very happy that we got this place from Habitat and I also want to thank all the people who helped us to get the house”.
“Like other people, we will now have a place that we call home after living in a rented home for a long time,” Ms Ramakopalane said, adding they would even save the cash they used to pay rent.
Ms Ramakopalane had been staying in a rented house with her two children and her younger brothers. She said her other brother, Thabo left for Rustenburg in South Africa in search of employment and often sent money which helped cater for their expenses including the rent as she made very little from selling cosmetics in the neighbourhood.
They paid a monthly rental of M60 00.
“I dropped out of school when I was in Form B,” Ms Ramakopolane said, adding, “However, my younger brother passed Form A and he is now in Form B where he is being supported by the Royal Fund for his school fees”.
The new house has come as a welcome boost to the family whose rented accommodation had cracks in addition to poor ventilation. The house was overcrowded and there was no privacy for boys and girls.
For her part Habitat for Humanity Lesotho National Director, Mathabo Makuta said they worked with community councilors to provide decent shelter to disadvantaged villagers who were orphaned or disabled.
Ms Makuta said they provided the shelter through various projects where they invited organisations to assist and volunteer in building houses.
“We also do it through the global village where we host teams from countries like America and Canada just like we did with the Canadians who were part of the building team for this project,” Ms Makuta said.
She said the global village programme was a gateway for international volunteers to serve with Habitat for Humanity and explore other cultures while “helping families to build their strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter”.
“By bringing the volunteers, we want to instill the love and the importance of volunteering to our community.
“The community also needs to lean to volunteer for a good courses because volunteering helps you to feel good knowing that you brought change to someone’s life,” Ms Makuta said.
