Mwandi (ongoing)

Mwandi is a small town on the Zambezi in the Sesheke District of the Western Province in Zambia. The town is 120 km west of Livingstone, on the road to Sesheke. The village is part of the region known as Barotseland. The town is the seat of a parliamentary constituency of the same name.Paula Winland Van Zyl runs a Volunteer Housing Project in Mwandi called "Home for Aids Orphans"The majority of people in the village live in mud huts with grass roofs. During the rainy season (late Dec to Feb) the weight of the grass roof puts pressure on the walls. The roofs also leak which causes deterioration of the walls. The houses collapse. There are limited resources in the community to help families repair or rebuild their homes. Most people in Mwandi live on less than $1.00 per day and do not have the financial resources to address the issue.A number of the families on the list include people with disabilities, grandparents caring for their orphaned grandchildren, or those who are abandoned or neglected by their extended families. All able bodied family members are expected to contribute their time to the construction of their house. As of the end of October 2016, there has been 160 houses built and they have lasted 15 years. There is a growing need for houses and the Kuta, (which is the local court/government), continue to request the assistance of Home for AIDS Orphans to provide housing for the needy people of the village.