Annette lived with her seven children and one grandchild in a tiny two-bedroom wooden structure. Disaster struck when they lost everything in a tempest – furniture, household appliances and belongings were all destroyed. With everything gone, Annette and her family were split up between neighbours and extended family, as they tried to recover from the devastating loss..
In true community spirit, neighbours built a makeshift shack for the family, using salvaged rotting wood which Annette herself gathered from the area. But when welfare officers visited the family, they removed Annette’s two youngest children from her care due to this new unfit housing condition. Annette, already trying to cope with illness, became even more distraught, as she saw nowhere for her to turn for help. , But she came to Habitat on the advice of neighbours, and EOG Resources agreed to work with her to rebuild her home and reunite her family. Annette and the energy company worked with the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force and the Trinidad and Tobago Fire Services, to build a new three-bedroom home for the family. Today, they celebrate birthdays and holidays together, in safe, decent and affordable shelter.
