HELP IF YOU CAN

Paula Gordon and Sheldon Williams, Star Writers

Life has not been good for 39-year-old Karen Martin and her three children.

The family has been living in a deplorable condition in Frazers Content, St Catherine, for more than a year.

They occupy a one-room zinc structure with no running water and no bathroom facilities. According to Martin, she uses the nearby bushes as her bathroom.

“Me go Meadowrest go get water. Sometime a di bullfrog water we get and when dem get water fi dem worker bathe we get some fi drink,” she said.

When THE STAR visited the family yesterday, Martin’s twin boys were sitting on a makeshift bed, barely clothed. They sported dirty, torn baby ‘onsies’ and no pampers.

Our photographer had to request that a sheet be used to cover the children from the waist down in order to have some pictures taken.

Outside was a coal stove that was being used to boil what looked like bush tea.

Martin said, “I had twins, they are one year and six months and I have an 11-year-old, him don’t even have shoes to go to school.”

She said that the zinc structure that she calls home was built by her mother’s boyfriend, however, when her mother moved to another area in St Catherine she took up residence there as she had nowhere else to go.

She explained that, “The problem is with the zinc, when the sun hot yuh can’t go and sleep cause in there is baking, we have to wait until evening and when rain fall we have to set bucket cause is bare water.”

Martin says she has been living in the dilapidated structure simply because she is unemployed. She said that in order to survive she has to resort to selling fruits on weekends.

“Mi look nasberry and sell down at Meadowrest on Saturday and Sunday,” she said.

Further, she noted that she has been unable to get a job because, “My mummy didn’t send me to school, she was a gambler and she left us with my grandmother.”

She says that she is unable to send her son to school often because of the lack of funds to do so.

She reasoned, “I went to write up for the Path Programme so him can get lunch at school, they say they will call mi but they have not as yet.”

Further she noted, “Many days I go to bed without dinner and I give the children dem sugar and water and I cry.”

She told THE STAR that her son’s father died in England some years ago, however, the father for the twin contributes when he is able to.

Martin also has another child, who lives with his grandmother. She said sometimes she gets help from the church she attends and the people in her community.

“They will buy pampers and Lasco and sometimes bring likkle brief for the babies dem,” she said.

She is pleading to the public to assist her in whatever way they can.

“I want to live somewhere comfortable and if dem could even help me with some clothes for the children,” she remarked.

Meanwhile, persons interested in helping Martin and her family can make a deposit at the Bank of Nova Scotia, Cross Roads branch, account number 336622 or contact her at 497-0401.