Striving for more

BEING BORN with a severe physical deformity has not deterred Cetterber Sitcheran from striving for a better life for her family. A chance encounter with a Food For The Poor (FFP) Jamaica representative proved to be a life-changing moment for the mother of four who had been living in a two-bedroom house with more than 10 family members for many years.

Sitcheran is now the owner of a house, after becoming a recipients of Boom Energy Drink’s Boom with Love initiative which provides vulnerable people across Jamaica with homes through a partnership with FFP Jamaica.

Thirty-one-year-old Sitcheran was born with one arm and no legs, and often faces ridicule from others. However, she said her family has always been by her side.

“Growing up, I did not know I was different from anybody else because where I grew up, they treated me like I was normal. It wasn’t until we [my family] moved to Little London when I was nine years old and the kids in school did not want to play with me or talk to me, that I knew I was not like them,” explained Sitcheran.

“It is hard, but I have to give thanks to God because I have life. My family also helps me out a lot. When I was pregnant, my brother or mother would carry me on their back when it became difficult for me to get around on my hand alone.”

Sitcheran’s disability has made it difficult for her to secure employment, forcing her to depend on her mother and her spouse.

INJURED ON THE JOB

“My children’s father doesn’t have a steady job, but does odd jobs. He was injured on the job because he used to lift heavy things at work and he pulled a muscle, so he has a lot of pain in his back and feet which also impacts his ability to work because when he is in pain he can’t manage to work,” she explained.

Sitcheran noted that this affects her children’s attendance at school.

“My kids go to school, but not daily. Sometimes it is two or three days a week, based on how the money is set up that week. My first son gets help from his father and my younger one gets assistance from my mother. I am responsible for two of them for school,” she shared.

Facing these difficult circumstances has forced Sitcheran and her family to live in a two-bedroom board house with her mother and other family members for several years. The house did not have indoor plumbing which meant there was no bathroom or running water indoors.

“It wasn’t easy because a lot of us lived in the house and certain things that I wanted to do, I could not do, such as washing or using the bathroom without help from others because the bathroom was outside,” she reflected.

NO FURNITURE

According to the Westmoreland resident, there was no furniture in the house, apart from two beds, with the family forced to store their clothes in a barrel.

Sitcheran’s ray of hope came last year when she spoke to an FFP representative who was finalising the details of the donation of a home to her mother, who is the primary breadwinner for the family.

“My mother applied for the house, and when they came to interview her, I asked about getting one of the houses for myself. They called my mother afterwards to ask me follow-up questions so that’s how it worked out for me,” she explained.

Since that call, Sitcheran is now the owner of a two-bedroom home in Long Pond, Westmoreland that she now shares with her partner and children.

According to the mother of four, being a recipient of the new house has transformed her family’s life.

“I enjoy living in the new house because I have space to move around, and my kids are a lot more comfortable. I can do simple things like use the bathroom without having to go outside,” she shared.

“I am thankful to everyone involved, because living in this house that I have now has made my life easier,” she added.

With the hurdle of her poor living conditions now behind her, the ever-optimistic Sitcheran is hoping to get into entrepreneurship to be able to provide for her family.

“I would love to get into farming, such as rearing chickens, as I have done that before with my mother,” she noted.

Since 2020, Boom Energy Drink has changed the lives of 30 families in need by sponsoring a total of 30 houses across Jamaica, that were constructed through FFP.

FFP is one of Jamaica’s leading charity organisations and is an international nonprofit, which provides food, housing, education, and other support for the less-fortunate. Boom Energy Drink is partnering with FFP through their Boom with Love corporate social responsibility effort to provide shelter and sustainable, income-generating projects for those in need.