‘God a guh help mi’ - Man in pitiful conditions looks to the Lord for deliverance

Clive Wilson resides in a house barely spacious enough for his mattress. During the day, he tilts the bedding to create room in the cramped space, while at night, he lays it flat, manoeuvring past his sole piece of furniture, an old plastic chair, to find rest.

The 52-year-old man said his life has not always been like this. He grew up just metres from where his house now stands on the bank of a gully in central Kingston, but said he was forced to leave the house due to a family dispute. The broken-down shack he calls home is an accident waiting to happen, as a powerful gust could send it directly in the gully below. He told THE STAR that he has to constantly be on the lookout for rising water whenever there are adverse weather conditions.

"When the rain fall, the water only full the gully half-way, so thank God it nuh come up to the banking. The other day when the heavy rain fall, every minute mi look outside to see how high it a rise," Wilson said.

Protecting himself from the elements is just one of his many concerns. Wilson said he is plagued by insects, which easly make their way past the pieces of old clothes that he uses to seal the cracks of the house.

"A bare mosquito bite mi up at nights, and lizard and other insect jump on mi. Mi allergic to the mosquito dem, so a bare spot deh all over mi skin," he said.

Despite his situation, Wilson is not prepared to wallow in self-pity. He told THE STAR that he sells bag juices in the downtown Kingston market district, but laments that he seldom makes enough money to cover his expenses.

"Is over 20-odd years mi a sell juice a town. On a good day mi will make between $3,000 to $5,000. But by the time mi have to buy back juice, mi nu have nuh money, so more time mi have to go by the poor relief place dem and get some food," he said.

The middle-age man, who said he worked as a security guard in the past, said his main focus is to work enough money to improve his living condition.

"Mi did always want to be a mechanic when mi younger, and mi can do little a dah work deh. Mi love painting, suh mi would take a job like that. Mi is a man who nuh like beg, suh mi nah give up. God a guh help mi, enuh. God nah guh left mi out," Wilson said.

Persons wishing to assist Clive Wilson may contact him at (876) 439-9658.