House-building project for impoverished families in Uganda
After visiting many poor villages and families of Bugembe, the president of Blue Angel association Dragica Kopjar decided to start a house-building project for poor families in Uganda. The costs for a new mud house with two rooms range from 600 to 1000 dollars on their own property and brick houses cost twice as much.
We collect donations to build those houses. Our volunteers will be building them from May to September 2014.
In addition, we collect donations to buy goats for poor large families to provide them with fresh milk every day. One goat costs around 50 dollars. We will also buy sacks of beans, rice and potatoes (one sack is around 50 dollars as well).
We bring you the story and photos of a family in dire need of a new home:
While the night is drawing near in Wanyange, a small village in Jinja situated on the banks of Lake Victoria, among many decrepit mud houses there is one that stands out. Its walls look flimsy and its roof, made of papyrus mats, is leeking. The floor of the house is always wet, holes and chinks in the walls are begging to be repaired and the only window in the house is covered with a plastic bag.
This is a house of Mr. Robert Lyagobe (33) who lives with his wife Nabirye Annet (32) and seven children: Dan (15), Namukose Fiona (13), Namukose Lovisa (11), Babirye Tapensi (8), Waiswa Sam (7), Nankusu Scovia (7) and Dongo Eseza (2).
In Robert's two-bedroom house life is a real nightmare. Six of his children are forced to share a single room, where they sleep on rugs which are their covers as well as their clothes. It is even more difficult when it rains because, since the floor gets wet, the children are forced to sit through the night.
During the rainy season Robert usually makes a dried grass mat which he spreads across the floor to provide his children with at least some warmth. Consequently, malaria and pneumonia are common in this household.
Robert's family is also faced with difficulties regarding the care of their eldest son Dan Lyagobe who was severely injured in a traffic accident. The boy suffered a brain damage and was left with a paralyzed right arm after the accident, which can be seen in the photos. Despite the fact that the majority of Robert's children are old enough to attend school, only two children do because their father is unable to pay for the expenses. Those that do attend school need basic school supplies, such as books and pens.
Robert works as a fisherman. He is able to bring food on the table by fishing at the lake, but only if the catch is good.
"Sometimes, if Robert can't buy food, we starve and eat fish soup", says his wife.
The greatest challenge this family faces is the awful state of the house they call home, as well as scarcity of money, which they would use to buy food and educate their children.
