Habitat for Humanity builds decent houses for Bududa Victims

With a 2.5-acre piece of land on which to cultivate and a family of five children, the going became tough for Sumaya Nandutu. She had to fend for her family in terms of food, school fees for two of her sons in high school and many other basics. Because of the very many responsibilities, Nandutu could not afford to set up a decent house.

"We reside in a very dilapidated house, it leaks whenever it rains yet I do not have money to renovate or build a decent house. I had planned to renovate it this year, but the long drought greatly affected our harvests," says Nandutu.

Nandutu was among the over 500 victims in Bududa  district who were relocated to Panyandoli camp in Kiryandongo district after the 2010 landslides there. In the landslides, Nandutu lost her husband, two children and many other family members.      

In Kiryandongo, each family was allocated 2.5 acres of land.

"We are trying but the going is not easy. We do not have money to take good care of ourselves. Whenever I look at the house in which I sleep, I am left in tears," says Yekoyada Mafumo, another Bududa victim who was relocated to Panyandoli camp.

Recently, Habitat for Humanity Uganda with funding from the South Korean Government through the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) came to the rescue of the Bududa victims in Panyandoli camp by building for them decent houses. The project which will build 108 houses is in its final stages and many of the beneficiaries lives have already been turned around after entering their newly built modern houses.

At a recent meet where habitat for Humanity invited a number of stakeholders especially the local leaders in Kiryadongo to witness the ground breaking ceremony of one of the houses being constructed, the local leaders thanked the charity organization for the initiative and pledged support for the charity's work on the area.

"Decent housing is a basic human need and we are glad that you have come to support our brothers here who were displaced by landslides in Bududa. We pledge our support for the work you are doing here and assure our brothers here that they are welcome, this is their new home and let them feel at home," said Moses Kabamba, the Kigumba sub county LC 3 chairman.

Flavia Lanyero, a communications officer with Habitat For Humanity thanked the government for its efforts in resettling the affected families and explained that the selection criteria for the beneficiaries of the houses is based on consideration of the most vulnerable groups in the camps which included the women and children particularly families with babies and young children that need to be together to be able to cope with issues of hygiene, food and safety.

Each house consists of two bedrooms, one living room, a kitchen, modern pit latrine and bathroom as well as a water harvesting tanker. Each house is estimated at around US$8000(sh5m).