A couple were forced to sell their wedding rings to pay for groceries and stem the gnawing hunger pangs brought about from going without food for two days.
Adonis Belli, 30, lives with his wife Catherine, 39, in a dilapidated, bare house in Qormi which belonged to his deceased mother. The couple have two daughters; one aged seven and the other a mere 16 months. Mr Belli’s 24-year-old sister, Graziella, also lives with them, as does his wife’s 31-year-old brother, Kevin.
The family has one rusty pot between them – they use it to cook and warm up whatever food they manage to get as well as to heat up water before taking a bath, as they cannot afford a geyser.
They have no crockery except for one plate and a bowl.
The plumbing system is broken, and wire mesh is breaking through the mouldy ceiling. There are no doors separating one room from the next, affording them no privacy.
Mr Belli has a full-time job as a security officer and is on the minimum wage but finds it hard to stretch his pay.
Catherine is recovering from severe post-natal depression, for which she was hospitalised and which left her lethargic and unable to function properly.
Catherine is recovering from severe post-natal depression
Graziella has spent the last few years of her life as a carer – first caring for her sick mother, who passed away five years ago, and then looking after her brother’s children during the period Catherine was unable to care for them.
Together with Kevin, she has registered for employment but is still waiting to be offered a job. Despite their hardships, the family still manages to see the bright side of things as they express their delight at having new clothes donated to them by Charles Saliba, the director of NGO Daqqa t’Id.
“Everything seemed to spiral downwards when our beloved mother passed away five years ago,” Mr Belli recalled.
“I sank into a depression and had to be hospitalised. I’ve now recovered thanks to the medication I’m on but life hasn’t been easy because my wife then fell ill.
“We’re so grateful to Charles, who has brought us some food. We’ve gone two days without eating. It’s a horrible feeling – you’re plagued with a throbbing head-ache and you feel so weak.
“In fact, sometimes we’re so hungry that when we manage to get some food, it seems too much for our stomach and we almost bring it back up.”
Their diet consists mainly of bread, chicken-flavoured noodles and plain rice. Mr Belli has often walked to work, even at 3am, so as not to buy petrol in order to feed the family instead.
Mr Saliba aims to help provide them with the basic necessities and to transform the house into a decent, habitable home.
Anyone who can help the family by providing furniture for the bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen appliances and crockery, a washing machine, sheets and curtains, or who can provide their services to reconstruct the plumbing and electrical systems is asked to contact Mr Saliba through 99026827 or daqqatid@gmail.com.
Donations can be made by phoning one of the following numbers: 51502082, €5; 51602025, €10; 51702026, €15; 51802093, €25 and 51902056, €50. Donations by SMS can be sent to: 50617376, €2.33; 50618059, €4.66, 50618903, €6.99; and 50619230, €11.65.