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Newspaper Article MOTHER AND SON FIGHT TO SURVIVE ON EMPTY LOT
Northside Record, Pretoria News, South Africa
May 25, 2007
Juanita (South Africa)
No electricity and no water. Only a caravan on an empty lot next to a burned down house in Wolmer. That's all that Juanita and her 9 year old son Joshua had. They live in the caravan that she borrowed from her brother. They are hoping to get permission to rebuild the burned down house on their own. Joshua is dreaming about a small little house they can call their own one day. Joshua is asking his mom all the time when he can have his own room and he would like to invite some of his friends over one day just to come and play. That's not going to happen soon, because the caravan is their home for now.
Juanita and Joshua are going to their neighbors at night to go and make their dinner and to take a bath. She said she will get money somehow to buy building material and build a house for her and her son. She does not sit around and wait for something to happen. She collects scrap metal and copper and she can do nails as well. She and two other women are currently working for a company where they are making rollers and hairclips.
She is working close to home so she can give Joshua the love and attention he needs. Juanita's dream is to get a community project on the way and to get all the women of Wolmar to learn how to make the hairclips. It is so easy she said. The more hairclips you make the more money you get at the end of the month.
She said you really have to reach out to your community and your neighbors today. Everybody in Wolmar can do with an extra income. She really wants to help women that are in the same position that's she is in.
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