Rita’s* children are overjoyed they may finally have a home that is larger than the humid one-roomed flat they are living in at the moment.

But their new home is not guaranteed because their mother cannot afford to furnish the three-bedroom apartment allocated to her by the Housing Authority. If they do not move in within the month, they may lose their right to the apartment.

“The children were so happy when I took them to see the place. They were jumping with joy... They can’t believe they’re actually going to have a bedroom, even though they will be sharing. My daughter asked me whether the flat was really ours. She is worried they will take it away,” Rita, a Maltese woman in her early 30s, said.

The single mother has spent the last couple of years hopping from one rental apartment to the other with her children, the youngest being just a few months old. Moves were often triggered by landlords increasing her rent. She is paying €280 a month for a one-roomed flat that was originally designed to be a garage.

Her financial situation is set to improve if she manages to move into the housing property where she will be paying a yearly rent of €185. But before she can move in, she needs to furnish the place. Rita borrowed money to buy a bathroom but needs help to install the plumbing, tiles and fixtures.

She was given a dining room and bedrooms but is still missing one of the children’s bedrooms that has to be fitted in a small room.

She also needs a kitchen, a living room and help with plastering and painting the walls.

She cannot afford to buy the furniture all at once but, if the family do not move in within a month, they may lose their right to the apartment.

Apart from offering a stable home, the apartment brings with it a renewed hope for Rita to rebuild her life that was almost shattered when she was raped by a group of men in Libya about 10 years ago.

The men drove by while she was walking with her Libyan boyfriend and the assailants forced them into the car at gunpoint. They later pushed her boyfriend out of the car and drove her to a field where they raped and beat her.

The aggressors then took off, leaving her in the field and she managed to find her way back to the village. She later learnt this had happened to other foreign women, some of who had been found dead.

The men ended up in court and were sentenced to pay her €23,000. When she left Libya, after the incident, she was told the money would be transferred to her through the Libyan Embassy in Malta. But, till today, she never received a penny.

Following the ordeal, Rita went through a difficult time with her boyfriend, the father of her children, who started blaming himself for what happened and became possessive and aggressive. Their rocky relationship meant he did not support her and the children and was not always present in their lives.

She has found support from the Imam to overcome her ordeal and is now hoping to rebuild her life with her children with the housing apartment serving as a platform for this new life.

Rita also wishes to work but cannot at the moment because she has to look after her young children.

“It would be ideal if I could find a job which I can do from home. I have to be there for my children,” she said.

*Names have been changed to protect the person’s identity.