She leaned against the doorframe of the ramshackle building that had been her home for the past ten years and watched as the walls of her new house came together. I glanced at her, studying her expression and wondering what she thought of all these strangers who had come thousands of miles to build her a home. Her face was solemn and gave nothing away.
Her name is Mimi and she’s a single mother with full responsibility for her two children, Sipmo and Khethiwe. She also cares for her sister’s child, Nyathela. Mimi is unable to work as she struggles with some mental problems, but she has somehow managed to survive and care for her family with the government grant of 400 Rand ($50) per month.
Despite their obvious hardships, the children are precocious and lively. They floated around the work site, engaging the volunteers and bringing smiles to everyone’s faces with their obvious excitement.
Just two weeks after construction began, the house is finished and ready for the family. Bunk beds were donated, the keys handed over, and this precious family now has a safe and solid house to call their own.
Home is more than four walls and a roof, but it starts there …
Brittany Deniston
Photos by Jen Price
