Sharmilla Seetaram lost her home to fire with nothing but her baby and the clothes she wore. On Friday, she stood inside a new one, built for her family from the ground up.
The 39-year-old single mother, who lived with her baby and extended family, was among several fire victims and vulnerable families across Berbice who received newly constructed or rehabilitated homes that day, as Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha fulfilled a commitment made on behalf of President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali.
“It feels good. I feel grateful and I’m very much thankful,” Seetaram said.
Also displaced by the same blaze was 53-year-old hire car driver Nazim Gani, who watched flames spread from a neighbouring house and consume his own. Both families had lived at Sister’s Village, East Bank Berbice, and were forced to seek temporary shelter with relatives after the fire completely destroyed their homes.
“After my neighbour’s house started to burn, mine was destroyed. I feel so happy. I now have back a home,” Gani said, explaining that while the lower portion of his house had remained intact, the upper flat required extensive repairs.
For Pastor Jerry Alexander of Fyrish Family of God Church, the devastating news came in the middle of delivering a sermon. He returned home to find it destroyed by fire, leaving him, his wife, daughter and granddaughter without a place to live.
“It was a very sad day. God, we left homeless, penniless, all the less, but not lifeless. Thank God for life,” Pastor Alexander recalled.
He has since received a newly constructed home, and credits both faith and community for the family’s recovery.
“I must give God thanks. He deserves the first praise for speaking to the contractors and all those who had contributed to bless us in acquiring our home,” he said.
The housing handover forms part of the Government’s continued efforts to support families affected by disasters and assist vulnerable citizens in securing safe and decent homes.
