A home is more than just a roof over one’s head as it is a foundation of a safer brighter future. Habitat for Humanity Lesotho acknowledges that everyone deserves an opportunity for a better future.
Mosiuoa Mahlelehlele (35) is a disabled young man who lives at Mapoteng, Popopo village with his wife ‘Marealeboha and their 6-year-old son Realeboha as well as their 15 months old daughter Palesa. This family lived in a one roomed dilapidated shack with holes all over the walls. The door does not close properly and has no locks for safety. The situation was even worse during rainy seasons and winter seasons. Mosiuoa mentioned that during rainy days, they put buckets all over the house to collect water coming inside due to the state their shack.
Looking at the plight of this family, the community nominated Mosiuoa to benefit from Habitat for Humanity Lesotho’s vulnerable group housing program. A two roomed house and an improved ventilated pit latrines were built side by side with the family under the financial support of Susan Gordon. Today, Mosiuoa is amongst 115 partner families who benefited from this 3-year project. The families were also given an Ace 1 Ultra Clean Energy Stove that comes complete with a solar light to address their cooking lighting challenges.
Mosiuoa and his wife do odd jobs in the community to earn a living. He is also a dedicated small-scale farmer who produce vegetables in the community and sell to passersby on the streets. He also gets a M750.00 (US$40.00) disability grant on quarterly basis from the Ministry of Social Development.
Pictured above: Mosiuoa’s shack they used to call home before Habitat for Humanity Lesotho’s intervention.
“I would like to thank God for answering my prayers at last. Looking at my status, I never imaged something like this will happen anytime soon. I also want to thank the community for choosing my family to benefit from this project. I will forever be grateful. Lastly, special thanks to Habitat for Humanity Lesotho, words alone cannot really explain how I feel. May God bless this organization so that more families could benefit from the good work they do.” Said Mosiuoa.
