In Kekong village, in the interior parts of Homabay County, mzee Lucas Ogola’s life is about to take a U-turn for the best. Ogola, a father of four, lost his wife in 2015 leaving him behind as the only parent to their young children. His efforts to play both roles of being a mother and father to his children proved difficult due to the difficulties that come with being a single parent. He desired to remarry and bring home a woman who would take care of him and the children. However, his desires faced a cultural obstacle which he had to overpass before bringing his wife home.
“In Luo culture, I could not marry and bring the wife to the same house I lived with my deceased wife. I had to build a new house but I could not afford to build the house,” he says.
Ogola says he had to put up a structure in the form of a house where he and his wife lived as they prayed for a miracle to enable them to build just a decent semi-permanent house. Luck was on his side when he was selected to be among the beneficiaries of a fully constructed house by Habitat for Humanity.
Under the project, Ogola will receive a well-built three-roomed house where he will move in with his family.
“This house gives me joy and morale to work harder for my children and wife. We will now be living,” he says.
The house has a living room, a kitchen, and two rooms. He is now looking forward to having a more comfortable environment for himself and his family to live in.
Ogola is thankful to Habitat for Humanity Kenya for providing this house as it has made a huge difference in his life. He says that the house will not only shelter him but also allow him to focus on other important aspects of his life such as providing for his family and ensuring they have access to education and healthcare. Ogola is hoping that by having this house, he will be able to provide the kind of life that his children deserve in a well-constructed permanent house without any fears of rains or anything, he says.
