Father seeks help for water and electricity

By Nefertiti Matatia 29 March 2018, 12:00AM

The struggle is real for Alosio Alosio.

He lives in a shack without water supply and electricity and has no stable income. He also struggles  to feed his family.

An unemployed father of two, from Leaupuni, Mr. Alosio shared he is always sleepless at night just worrying about his children. 

Four years in their current residence, water supply has been the main challenge that he has had to deal with every day.

“That’s the problem we live right next to a water tank and yet we don’t have a water supply that reaches our house.

“We don’t have water and that is the problem that we constantly need to deal with. We rely on our water gallons to do everything at home, such as washing the dishes and having a shower.

“Our drinking water is from our neighbour, we cannot drink the water from the gallon because it is not safe or clean,” said the 30-year-old.

Mr. Alosio adds their house is a major disaster. He says the same place that they sleep in, just right next to it is their kitchen.  

They don’t have a proper kitchen and the smoke from their cooking is inhaled by their toddler who is mostly at home.

“All the wood that you see used to make this house were from the side jobs that I carried out, including the iron roofing. 

“There are no mattresses and proper blankets in our home and this is why my children are always ill. Every time that happens, I then move closer to where there are families nearby, just in case of an emergency, to visit the hospital and things like that. 

“We live up the in mountains and it is always cold. Life is so hard. You see everything that I do, despite how poor I am; I work so that my children will be fed well.

Mr. Alosio explained: “We have moved a little bit further to the back from where we used to live so that we could make use of the land to grow our crops and sell.

“We don’t have any proper tarpaulins. We have relocated to be back because it was also close to the road. But the kind of house we had is similar to the place we are living in now.”

 At night, it is a hassle for them because they cannot see anything. This is the daily struggle his children have to undergo. 

“There are so many things that we need for our house and our family but there is no money. There is no power source. We use torches to see things in the night. I feel for my children because they are still young.”

Mr. Alosio states the cost of living has become unbearable for him. There are so many things that he wants to fix, but there is no money. 

“My eldest child is four years old and he goes to school, with our eldest child. For their school fees, we always sell our banana batches and taro. 

“For the whole week, the amount of money that we make does not reach $200, but there are times when I have side jobs.

“We mainly use that money to buy the children what they need and our daily meal each day. If we are lucky then we would have chicken for dinner. If not then there is nothing that we could do about it.”

Mr. Alosio says they rely on other families close by his house to give them food and in return they give those family crops.

He also mentioned that he needs a job for his family’s sake.

“As long as there is sugar for tea, then we are good to go. If I don’t sell my crops, then I would not be able to survive. I really need a job, it does not matter if I have to make coffee for a living as long as my children are able to eat and sleep well.” 

For anyone who is willing to help Mr. Alosio and his family, contact the number 7591637.  

By Nefertiti Matatia 29 March 2018, 12:00AM

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