Holy Home Visit - Mafambisa

Myself, Lucy and Carolyn went off to one of the care workers’ house called Dudu. We had been told we were going to visit the son as he was refusing to go to school. We arrived there and unfortunately he wasn’t there as he was going to the shop. But sadly the only challenge with this family isn’t just the boy isn’t going to school.

This family where living on the other side of the town but the landlord was charging them more than what they should have to pay. Their neighbour gave them a house on the other side of the town (near Mafambisa) and is only charging them 200 Rand for the electricity. The family are trying to save up though so they can buy their own house. 

Dudu has 5 children and 2 grandchildren and a husband who is her 3rd. Her husband is only the father of 1 of the children. This is meaning that some of the other children aren’t respecting him as a father. This man is so loving towards the children although they aren’t even his. He has a small wood business where he has to walk many miles to get this wood but then he doesn’t have a car so has to hire one to take the wood back to his house. Sadly he has to pay the rental wood and he loses profit due to this. The children deliver the wood to houses and are asking their father for a pay even though the money he gets is paying for their food. This husband does all of this but has a problem with his heart where he can’t get enough air when inside his house so he would have to go outside. This means sometimes in the night he has to get up and starts doing his job as he needs fresh air. 

Dudu has a daughter who has 2 children. She has poor mental health due to Dudu’s ex husband sexually assaulted her. Dudu’s daughter now has a partner but is using her for children and doesn’t care about her. Dudu’s husband is trying to tell her this but because she doesn’t respect him, she isn’t listening to him. The only other income coming into the family is the daughter’s children who allow the family some grant a month. 

The family are struggling financially and have very little so Hands at Work have stepped in and are providing some more mattresses and are providing new school uniform for them. The husband asked if Hands could help him and they are making a contract so they pay for wood once a month but they pay a little more than he asks so he is guaranteed a profit from that purchase. 

By Ben