This Mother-daughter duo are helping their domestic worker rebuild her house after the storms and ants have caused it to start crumbling around her.
Pietermaritzburg, South Africa (23 October 2018) – Antonia Mtambo, in her 60s, from Willowfountain, Pietermaritzburg is a widow and survives off a very small SASSA pension. Her son is away working and her daughter and grandson are sharing her crumbling home. There is very little money for much else, they focus on feeding the family.
Her home started showing troubles when an infestation of white ants started eating away at the framework of the home as well as all wooden fixtures within the home. Then the big storms of the season started rolling in and all the heavy rain started washing away the unsupported structure.
Kerryn Hugo and her mother Michelle have been employing Antonia for the last couple of years, assisting her whenever they could.
“She’s helped my mom, and then I, to look after our home once a week, for more years than I can recall.”
“We try to help her out with clothes, medicine and food parcels when we can. She doesn’t have work with anyone else…”
When the mother-daughter duo heard about this, they decided to try to do something to help.
“We don’t have much, but we have far more than they do… I can’t imagine what it must be like to have a home that’s falling apart, and it breaks my heart that Antonia has to try and deal with this… She has lost so much weight due to stress, and it seems like she’s aged years, in just a few months.”
They had a few builders visit the house to determine how much damage had been caused by the ants and weather, and see if there was a solution. Sadly, the damage was far too extensive to save the structure of the house. The family then looked at rebuilding it but the quotes were much more than expected.
They launched a crowdfund to help pay for the rebuild. They have already raised 10% towards the cost of the rebuild and are feeling hopeful that in the next few months, the family can start prepping to build the new house.
The assistance that Kerryn and Michelle are offering is bringing Antonia some peace of mind.
Update
Michelle and Kerryn were successful in their crowdfund and able to build a house for Antonia. Antonia lived in her home until her passing in 2021. She was blessed with two years of comfort and protection and was able to leave a safe space for her own family upon her passing.
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