Starting in January, we began renovating a home on Shedden Road.
When we carried out our initial home visit, we met Kelana, a precious 5 year old and her mother. They were living in squalor. There was sewage surrounding the home, and it was impossible to avoid. Their bed was balanced on cinder blocks with sewage underneath, the mattress saturated in waste. The smell was horrific. There was no bathroom; Kelana had never had a bathroom. Mold had saturated the walls and ceiling and the ceiling was about to collapse. They slept under this ceiling. The kitchen was also in a similar condition, a huge hole in the floor, rodents, mold and gaping holes in the roof, where buckets and pots sat waiting for the next rain.
And Cayman has far too many homes in such abhorrent conditions.
We immediately set in motion assisting this family. First, we used ARK's Crisis Fund to sterilize the area and replace the plumbing. Then we launched a campaign and successfully built two new bedrooms, a bathroom, replaced the roof and ceilings of the entire home. We installed a new kitchen, complete with new floors, stainless steel fridge, granite countertops, new fixtures and fittings - it’s beautiful. A new living room has been created and decked out with new flooring and furniture. This could not have happened without the incredible support of generous individuals and the private sector, and hundreds of volunteers.
We completed phase three, the last remaining bedroom and entry way. It's not just a building that has been rehabilitated, but this family's lives. The mother had been consumed with her despair; today she is a new woman, an employed and engaged parent, with hope and a future.
And you know what she wants to do the most? “Pay it Forward” :0)
