Tapestry Homes changing lives one home at a time!

The following are excerpts from a letter written by Pumla, the first Tapestry Home recipient in Kayamandi, South Africa . She writes in her own words on October 2, 2007:

Son helped build Tapestry Home and sees a different future for himself.......

"Monde (her son) is doing fine, he said hello too, he is missing every body who was in the last trip, I don t think he will ever forgot the team as there is a history of the house about the team. He said one from you told him that he will be the builder of the Tapestry houses in Kayamandi. He decorated the new TV room himself and put the outside light in the new house. He would like to be a Carpenter and is busy looking for a Technical College that offers this course for next year. "

Residents amazed and curious about the Tapestry Home........

"Here are the praises from the Kayamandi residents and most of the time I hear them while I m already in bed. WOW!!!! Look at this house, where did the owner get it? One of the neighbors will respond as follows: You know what? This is an import from America , but how did it come here? One will respond, it came by a ship and it is fire proof. Some other residents who pass will also ask the same questions, when they heard where the house is from I ll hear them saying, OK!! I heard about this house in a taxi but I thought it was a joke because I was wondering how did it came? This is excellent, I prefer this house than a RDP house (government houses that leak and with an average wait list of 30 years) and some say I m a white/black lady, the only things that are necessary in my house are the restroom and water inside, but I m busy searching if this is possible for me and I willing to pay if necessary. "

Residents want to see the Tapestry Home and buy one, too.......

".......When I meet some of the residents somewhere, they will tell me that they heard about my house and they went to see it but I was not at home but someone let them got inside and have a look and they say it is a really a house and they always want to know how can they get it, how much it is, how can they pay, who is the right person to contact when they need it. Sometimes when I m from work, my neighbors will give me the message that there were white people from the local Municipal housing department who came and looked at my house."

Residents feel differently when in the Tapestry Home........

"Some of the residents say . . . they will feel honored and anyone entered the house have to take off the shoes. (no one takes off their shoes in the current shacks) Some say they will never allow children to enter the house as they will dirty it, but I always tell them that children should feel being at home while the parents are still alive. "

Even the children are talking about the Tapestry Home......

"2 of the orphans came to my office and shared that they told their caregivers how beautiful my house is, and it is from America . They said their caregivers laughed and accused them of being liars, with so many questions such as: How did it come? Who paid all the expenses, what is the difference from the South African houses (the RDP government homes)? But the children insisted that they must go and have a look in my house so that they are satisfied and also ask the questions that they are asking them."

Tapestry Home not a home for mice or cockroaches!......

(Pumla told her son, Monde, that she saw mice in her older home, and he thought she meant the new home and ........) "then he responded with eyes widely opened, how did the mice get into the Tapestry house? There is no such thing aunty, there will never be mice in that house believe me, and I explained that I m talking about the old house. The house (Tapestry Home) has no mice and cockroaches for the first time I m in that area." (to live without mice and cockroaches, creating vermin and disease)

Tapestry Home unique, changes perception and reunites families.....

"A guy from the Province where I m from originally, came to visit me and he was shocked when he saw the house saying, this must be an import, I never seen this type of the house before, this is perfect, Pumla I think when you are inside, relaxing you even forget that you are in an informal settlement, and I said, yes of course. .........he came again with his colleague to show him this house, guess what, all of a sudden his colleague is my relative but we last seen each other 27 years back, this guy is my cousin brother s son and we rebuild the relationship, thanks to the Tapestry house and the hope builder s team."

Children dream and hope for a Mlungus Tapestry Home......

"My little neighbors (children) who were there while the house was built, they always ask, when are the Mlungus (White people) come to your place again aunty Pumla? When they come I will ask them to build our home the way they built yours and they (the children) will start fighting about which one the Mlungus will first build."