Stories

Mtislidza, a slum in Lilongwe city is one of the poorest parts of the city. People live in slums characterized of poor water & sanitation facilities, no electricity and poor road network. Over decades, the health of the people dwelling in such parts of Lilongwe has been highly affected due to lack of safe drinking water facilities, sanitation facilities and poor hygiene due to open defecation and lack waste disposal system. HFH Malawi worked in collaboration with HFH Germany to improve the well-being of adolescent girls and residents living in Mtsiriza through its WASH project. Christina Namutwa, a beneficiary of the project is a single mother and guardian to 10 children. She was identified by the local Health officers and after going through the selection process she was chosen to be among the 37 beneficiaries of the Ecosan latrines that were constructed in Mtsilidza. In the rainy season her former toilet which she shared with her daughters’ household would get flooded and make it impossible to use the facility because it was at risk of collapsing inside. This led them to resort to either use the neighbor’s latrine or defecate in the open. This resulted in her family especially the young ones getting different diseases and infections most notably diarrhea and skin rash which was a big challenge for her because they skipped school and she had to buy medication from the pharmacy because the clinic nearby was usually out of medicine. “I want to thank Habitat for building me a toilet, I no longer have to live in shame because I did not have a decent facility. My children no longer get sick because of the risk the old toilet posed on their lives. Not only is the toilet beautiful but I can also harvest manure from it and use it in the field which will remove the burden of buying fertilizer every year.” Said Christina when she was interviewed The toilets have two chambers so when one is full, the other is used while the full one can be harvested for manure after six months. This means the problem of having to construct a latrine every time it gets full has been eliminated there by preserving land.

Meet a Habitat family Thanks to Habitat Malawi, Alice Kadidigula can now sit on the veranda of her new home and chat with her children peacefully. “I am able to make plans in life like any other person in the community with no worries at all because I have a good house with beautiful paint that attracts a lot of people. My future and that of the children is bright and secure,” said Alice. The children are now living a healthy life as malaria cases have been reduced since Habitat Malawi gave them mosquito nets. Furthermore, diarrhea cases have also been reduced since a ventilated improved pit-latrine was also constructed for the family. Air-borne diseases are less frequent thanks to the air vents, cement floor, plastered wall and windows that make it possible to have fresh air. The children have a place for study and Alice is no longer buying grass for roofing and can use extra money to cover other basic needs of the family.

Elena 70 now lives in a Habitat house together with her daughter Dorica Misili and her four orphaned grandchildren Loveness Edson 13, Evance Wyson 12, Deria Edson 7 and Daniel Simon. Elena was born and raised in Magereta Village T/A Thilamanja in Mulanje district, Mulanje is amongst the highest district with HIV and AIDs population in Malawi, ranking second to Salima. This has led HFH Malawi to intervene by providing decent accommodation. Before becoming a Habitat beneficially Elena and her family used to live in a two roomed worn out house that would get flooded every time it rained. The rains would ruin their food, her grandchildren’s school uniforms and school books. They spent most of the night trying to drain the water in fear that the flooded water might weaken the walls of the house. This in turn would force her grandchildren to skip school the next day. The family had no pit latrine forcing them to share with their neighbor. Hygienically, sharing a pit latrine by many people from different households is a health hazard. Thankfully, this family now has access to their own clean and safe ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrine. One of the greatest joys of this family as they move to their new home is the pride of knowing they now have a safe environment. While in their old house, some of the kids occasionally suffered from illnesses like flu and common cold owing to the overcrowded state of their home as well as exposure to cold during the winter season due to the poor state of the house. At least once a month, some of the children would fail to attend school due to such illness which in turn affects their performance in school. Elena together with her daughter who is also her guardian are very thankful for the generosity shown by Bermuda overseas mission through habitat for building them a house. Her proudest moment was when she saw the GV team arrive because only then did she believe she was going to receive a house from Habitat A new home has meant a number of things to the family – security and safety, privacy, and a healthier environment that allows them to focus better on their studies and consequently improved performance in school.