From riverbank to a home

Chris Rambhal, 28, his common- law wife, Neesha Wattley, 26, and their four children, Ezekiel 10, Elisha, four, Ekisha, five, and baby Ekilsha, were presented with the keys by Housing Minister, Randall Mitchell, who described the family as an example of the HDC’s mandate to provide quality and affordable housing to the most deserving in society.

The key presentation was in keeping with the ministry’s goal of delivering “1,000 homes for Christmas’, although the family was the 1013th recipient.

Mitchell said he became aware of the family’s need after seeing them highlighted on television saying they lived “in a shack somewhere off Perseverance Road, Chaguanas and it was a shack that really had the most basic amenities, I mean from what I saw, really deplorable conditions, no running water, no toilet facilities, no electricity, not even proper flooring.” “I thought we should really do something about that, and what really moved me, and I’m sure a lot of others, notwithstanding all the trials faced by Chris and Neesha, they stuck together as a family and they stayed together,” Mitchell said, adding, “they tried and they continued to be productive citizens, buying and selling produce, and they continued notwithstanding the challenges of poverty, they sent their children to school. I am aware the children are doing quite well in school, and that tells me that they understand the role that education plays in alleviating the cycle of poverty.” “And I really thought we should do something about it because their example is the perfect example of what we really do at the Ministry of Housing because our mission is that we provide affordable housing that is acceptable and affordable so we decide to make this family’s dream come true,” he said.

Mitchell said Unicomer Corporation (Courts) had given the family a $20,000 credit voucher to furnish the home with furniture and appliances while DirecTV had given the family an entertainment system “so that the children can finally have a TV they can look at. I think it is the first time they will have a TV.” He also revealed an unnamed corporate citizen had offered to pay the family’s rent for a threeyear period and during that period, social workers from the HDC and the Ministry of Social Development would seek to get both parents “retrained and retooled” to ensure they would be able “sustain this family home and they can become more productive citizens, and enter the world of work and maintain this family.” Wattley, who at times seemed overwhelmed by the house, was full of praise for the HDC saying their previous home was “hell on earth” and was prone to leaks whenever the rain fell.

“The kids couldn’t play on the ground, when rain start to fall, you would get wet and you would have to get up and I would pray God let the rain stop or let the wind blow the rain away before you get a comfortable sleep,” she said.

“It was also next to a river bank, dirt floor, sometime you get up and dress to look neat and tidy and when rain fall your foot always muddy,” she said.

Rambhal, who said the children were eager to see their various rooms, promised to keep the house and its premises “maintained and clean”.