For 27-year-old Senerita Pati life goes on despite the close call last month when Tropical Cyclone Wasi blew away her family home’s iron roofing.

Had the Category 1 Tropical Cyclone gotten upgraded, it would have unleashed more damage on the house and would have even been a threat to the woman, her husband and their seven children.

But the house – with an iron roof held down by wooden logs and posts – has a basic structure and would not stand a chance in extreme weather conditions.

It is why Ms Pati remains concerned about the welfare of her family and her children’s vulnerability to bad weather.

“My greatest concern is the situation of the home we are currently living in,” she said. “I pray that our home will not collapse while I am inside with my children. The home we live in is new and it has not been a year since we have lived in it but we only used materials we could get.”

And while her husband is currently the family’s breadwinner, the money he earns is not enough to meet their daily needs, according to Ms Pati.

“And because we do not have a stable financial income, we try and get by with what we have. Despite the fact that my husband earns money, we still have to think of food supplies and needs for the children while attending school.”

Ms Pati attends to the family’s home as well as cook and does laundry while keeping an eye on the children. 

“I am in charge of caring for the home, cooking, laundry and looking after the children. At the moment we do not have our own water supply, instead we depend together with our other relatives on one water source for use.”

The family also lacks a toilet and shares one with 15 other people.

“In one land there are more than three couples with their children and we all share one water source and toilet,” she said.

They also use a small kerosene stove to cook all their meals,

“We cook our food inside our small home using a kerosene stove. I know we do not have much but we thank God that we have life and despite the challenges we face, we must move forward.”

If you are willing to help the family of Ms. Pati please contact the number: 7601340.