Clarendon family living in dire circumstances

While others look forward to a gift at Christmas, for mother-of-five Suzette Wilson, the best gift she could get is a home for her family.

Wilson lives in Curatoe Hill, May Pen, Clarendon with her five daughters -- aged 19, 16, 13, eight and one -- and spouse in a run-down shack.

Wilson, 39, said that she has a back problem that prevents her from doing labour-intensive work, and that her children's father, Owen Brown, 54, has been diagnosed with arthritis in both shoulders, which hinders him as well. In addition to the parents having health issues, Wilson said that two of the children are asthmatic, one has two holes in her heart, and the other suffers from joint pains.

"Right now, if rain fall di whole a dem sick," said the mother, adding that things are so bad that she has to resort to using old clothes to plug holes in sections of the house to keep out the water.

But water entering the dwelling is just one problem. Wilson said that frogs and slugs often make their way into the house because of the many holes. She said that one of her daughters was recently admitted to hospital after she was bitten by a "long worm".

The children's father said he feels bad knowing that he cannot adequately play his role by providing for them.

"Sometimes mi burn the coal and it not even sell because from the COVID everything gone down. Sometimes mi all feel downhearted and frustrated to wah a gwane. Through a five a dem mi have and dem fi go a school, sometimes mi grieve, but a just di livity," he said.

Wilson said that the younger children have not been in school since face-to-face classes were disrupted by the pandemic last March. She said that the 19-year-old has seven Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate subjects and recently got a job at a gas station, thanks to the efforts of Mayor of May Pen Winston Maragh.

"They can only sign in but they can't do any work at all. That's all they do, lay down here or some of the time they run up and down cause mi nuh have nothing for them to do their schoolwork, none a dem," she told THE WEEKEND STAR.

Wilson said that there are nights that they go to bed hungry, and that her children sometimes have to borrow shoes from their cousins when they need to go somewhere.

"Sometimes mi feel fi run whey left dem, but when mi look upon dem mi sey no sah, a five gal pickney, dem mi haffi stay," she said in sharing her frustrations.

Faced with their many challenges, the couple said that they are not prepared to give up. They believe that raising chickens, pigs and goats could help them improve their lives, and are appealing for help to start this agricultural venture.

Suzette Wilson may be contacted via telephone at (876) 798-3590.