Many grandmothers in rural Uganda, and other parts of Sub Saharan Africa, are in the situation of Margaret Isiko, a re-housed 80 year old grandmother, who narrates how she and her grandchildren would rush outside when it rained lest their leaky house collapse on them. Now they are safe, dry and happy in a sturdy home, built through an environmentally friendly process.
Over 200 grandmothers in only three Sub Counties in the district of Jinja are living in pathetic shelters that are not fit for human habitation with their, on average four, OVC. The housing condition in the rest of the districts where PEFO operates is known be worse. Experience has shown us that, poor shelters among the elderly directly links to poor hygiene and sanitation, poor retention of numbers of OVC in class and retention of what they learn at school, as well as poor concentration and productivity among the elderly.
The desire by PEFO to build habitable shelters is as immense as it was in 2003 when PEFO started, and is driven by the unacceptable suffering, in pathetic shelters by rural poor old women who are striving so hard to raise OVC under their care.While the determination to build habitable shelters for elderly women was unstoppable, the process of construction that destroyed the environment had to stop. PEFO lobbied and secured a modern brick moulding machine that produces compressed bricks from a mixture of murrum and lime through an environmentally friendly approach, producing a total of 2000 earth compressed bricks per day.
PEFO mobilised resources, and currently the process of building 200 habitable houses for 200 rural poor elderly women over three years is on. 60 houses must be built by the end of 2010, and this will be done through an environmentally friendly and participatory process involving the community. To date, a total of 21 houses have been build for rural poor disadvantaged women and, by the end of 39 more will have been built. By the end of 2011, another 140 houses is anticipated to have been built. Currently, the fundraising drive for the 140 houses is on.
Kauma Colastica's house before construction
Kauma with her grandchildren after construction
It’s amazing to see and hear what a house can do in changing
one’s life completely for good in almost all spheres of life.
SUCCESS STORY
Nabirye Joyce is a mother of 6. Of the 6, 3 died due to Aids pandemic leaving behind orphans. She is a grandmother of 9 but only stays with 4 of her grand children whose parents died.
It was or it’s unfortunate that this grand mother is HIV positive and at the same time has to work hard daily to make sure that the 4 orphans under her care get all basics they need. Looking for food or basics of life on a daily basis was not her main challenge.
Not at all. Living in a house that used to leak was the problem.
It was making her life hard most especially her grand son who is HIV positive. For her being a mature person, she would endure though at risk too of opportunistic illness since she is also HIV positive and the bread winner of the home.
First I joined the grannies’ group and now I have people who are always there for me. The house, I feel like my mother gave birth to a brother with whom I can share my problems with. I feel so happy and I believe my life span was extended for long.