By: Dawda Baldeh
Fatou Ceesay, a 38-year-old single mother of 7, who resides in Mandinary village and lost her husband years ago, has opened up to The Fatu Network about her plight since last year’s devastating flash floods and windstorm partly destroyed her house and left many others homeless. She told TFN that she and her children will be homeless if the rainy season meets them in the same house without it being renovated as the situation is deteriorating.
Fatou’s house was among hundreds of houses that were destroyed by a flash flooding and windstorm that hits the country last year. She has two girls and five boys and lost her husband years ago.
Life is hard sometimes and different people have different experiences in different circumstances which sometimes make them feel they are the only ones living in such a situation.
As food, clothing and shelter are the basic needs of a human being, poverty has prevented some from enjoying these natural needs that cannot be a second option.
“To put food on the table is extremely difficult for me because I have no one who can help. Since last year a heavy wind destroyed my house but I have nothing to buy corrugates to fix it.
“My children are going to school and their school fees payment is a heavy burden to me. Sometimes they will be sent out of school because of school fees,” she explained.
She added that her children sometimes will ask her why they are living in that house which is not good. “I will tell them we have no other house than this and I have nothing to fix the roof,” she said.
The 38-year-old single mother urged people to help her renovate the house before the rainy season begins.
“We will be homeless if the rainy season meets us in this house if it is not revamped. This is the worse situation every parent can be in, and seeing my children suffer but I cannot do anything.
Sometimes we will have sleepless nights because the house is in a terrible situation. I am a single mother, and I cannot do anything about the situation because of poverty,” the single mother explained.
“Sometimes we go to bed with an empty stomach. As a mother if I think of the situation my children are in and struggling to put food on the table I cry because it is not easy,” she stated.
If anyone wants to support Fatou and her children to get a proper roof among other things she needs, urgently contact the following numbers. +2207830849 or +2203341268.
