Joseline's Story

The house with no roof and crumbling walls, a frame of wooden poles held together with rope, is home to Joseline (14), her sister Tilly (10) and Mum, Susannah.
There are no doors or windows. The family's few possessions are covered with plastic sheeting in one corner and in another is a small cooking pot, a bucket and water container.

When Susannah's husband died many years ago she moved from place to place, trying to survive. When she eventually came back to her home she found it had been destroyed. With the help of some neighbours she tried to re-build the home, but has not managed to make it strong and secure.

Susannah has HIV, but is still quite strong and healthy. She grows sweet potatoes and beans on a small plot of land, and neighbours allow her to use their fields to grow food too. They also give her jobs to do so that she can earn money for food and necessities for her daughters.

The church is trying to help the family get a new home built, but they have to wait for permission from the local authorities before they can start building.
Because life has been so hard for so long Susannah sometimes feels like she can't be bothered to try any more.

Joseline describes what it's like living in their home: "The main problem is when it rains. We have to crawl under the plastic sheeting - we can't even stand. It gets so cold at night. We have few blankets, and keep on stealing them off each other. Even cooking is not easy - we can't cook when it rains, which it does a lot here."

The great thing is that Joseline and Tilly go to school and belong to a Children's Club run by the local church, with help from BCT's partner project Abisunzimana. At the club the sisters spend time with about 40 other children. They play and sing together and also learn about Jesus and pray. This is probably the best time of their week.