Mother of six wants better life for her children

In addition to a leaky roof, Joy Nettleford, a resident of Long Bough, Clarendon, says her current one-bedroom structure is an accident waiting to happen.

Although the boards are rotting and there is hardly any space for comfortable movement inside the dwelling, the 51-year-old mother of six said the structure is where she and three of her children lay their heads at nights. She longs for better days, but said it is a struggle to make ends meet from the $13,000 she receives fortnightly as a senior citizen's caregiver. She is therefore seeking the public's assistance to complete a two-bedroom house.

"Three of them are living with me now, because it was hard for the seven of us to live in the one room. The situation bad because sometimes we can't sleep good. One live with my cousin, I beg the father of one of them to take them, and the other one deh all over the place. I really wish I could have everyone under one roof. Mi start already [to build the home] but I need some more materials. So I am asking for some help, please," she said.

"When rain fall the place wet up, and one of my daughters have asthma. The place a rotten down, and is a tarpaulin I used to make an outside bathroom. Mi nah go lie say when we wah [defecate] we have to tie it up inna a bag and throw it inna a sinkhole nearby," Nettleford added.

Nettleford said that although she has never worked in the formal job sector, she has always tried to be as independent as possible and never dreamt of reaching the point where she has to ask for handouts. However, providing daily for her children has become a hefty task.

"Mi use to walk 'round and wash, but mi get so stress that mi find miself with high blood pressure and nerves problem. Mi have a old man a take care of and I get $13,000 a fortnight. That is just hand-to-mouth, because the three children are going school and one of them school is far, so she has to get $1,500 every morning. Sometimes when mi nuh have it, mi tell her to take the $1,000 and gwan, because mi don't want dem to come suffer like me," Nettleford said.

Persons wishing to assist Joy Nettleford may contact her at 876 204 6681.