Photo Description: I asked Lastain if he could take a picture of his family standing in front of the house he is building, which he quickly did. Left to right are Lastain, Annie, Hanna, Wisdom and Yamikani. Their 4th child, Moreen is not there - she is currently off at school.

I first met the Chikwatu family back in 2007 when my daughters Amy (who was 16 at the time) and Sara (who was 19 at the time) and I were living for 5 months in Mbeya, Tanzania, volunteering for an NGO named Africa Bridge. While we were there, we got a call from the worldwide headquarters of the Church of Christ, Scientist, (where I used to work) asking us if we would be willing to travel from our location in Tanzania to the neighboring country of Malawi to visit a Christian Science group that had formed there in a remote village at the southern tip of the country. We agreed to the adventure, hired a car and driver, and took a wild 7-day round- trip journey (without a map) to meet this group and share a church service with them.

For the next three years I was in communication with many of the Christian Science groups who had formed in southern Malawi at this time, concluding with a final in-person visit. It was during that trip that I really began to know Lastain, who worked alongside of me during some of the trip. His village was so difficult to get to by car, that the only choice I had was to either limit my visit to just a few hours (as we had done in 2007) because the rest of the daylight hours would be needed to travel there and back from the guest house where I was staying, or to camp overnight in his village. I chose the latter and pitched my tent in his front yard. What a wonderful, life changing, 2- day visit I had - not only experiencing the Chikwatu family's hospitatly - but also visiting the homes of about 10 others in his village.

In 2017 a very difficult thing happened. Lastain, his wife Annie and their 4 children had to flee because of threats to their lives. Previously Lastain had been a farmer, and suddenly he had to leave his house and his land behind and start a completely new life in a new place.

I have regularly been in touch with them during these past few difficult years, helping along the way with small amounts of money – to aid them in moving forward and establishing small businesses. They have been renting a house to live in for the last 5 years, and a the majority of their montly income is spent to pay the rent. However, with some of the money I sent and the profits from their businesses, they have bought land on which they have built the walls of a new house. But when COVID hit, all work on the house came to a stop, and business faltered.

Recently, Lastain reached out telling me that they were in a tough situation and wondering if once again I could help. I inquired about what it would take to finish the house, so that he and his family could move in, and no longer be tied into paying monthly rent, which would ease his financial situation considerably!

Here is how Lastain answered my email:

The next things that we need to buy and make roofing ready are as follows;

      ( A) 6 Iron sheets 13 feet long

      (B) 11 Iron sheets 8 feet long

      (C) 8 ridges

      (D) 7 Kgs roofing nails

      (E) 3 Kgs nails of 5 inches

      (F) 4 Kgs nails of 4 inches

      (G) 4 Kgs galvanized wire

      (H) doors and windows

The availability of these materials could mean the possibility of roofing and move in-ready.

Talking about the timeline:

(A) Roofing can take almost 2 weeks.

(B) doors and windows can be completed for almost 3 weeks.

This means that to finish the house,that is, roofing and setting doors and windows could obviously take 5 weeks.

The house is 12 metres long and by 7 and was built with cement.

It consists of 8 doors and 9 windows. Bathing and toilet rooms inside.

For the best of your idea of being realistic as to what and how it will take to finish the house we have an imagination of 5 weeks all to be done and get finished, and certainly get it to move in ready.

It might cost $1500.

For your note, there will be still some other things to be done like floor and plastering and electric wiring.

 That will be our duty to do while we are staying in already.

The amount that he told me it might cost- around $1500 USD - is more than I can afford. But I wondered if maybe there might be others who would like to help? I went down my contact list and saw about 30 names who I could share my request with, and thought that we just might be able to make this happen if enough people wanted to give.

Thank you for considering a donation to the Chikwatu Family House Fund (and for reading this far!) I am just making the need known, so please don't feel any pressure to contribute if it doesn't work for you.

With a grateful heart thinking about what might be possible!

Many thanks,

Debi Tatnall

PS - If you are interested in hearing updates,please check the box from Freefunder to receive updates on this campaign. I will certainly let you know and send pictures when the house is completed!