Woman living in fowl coop gets Christmas gift from NCB
Published:Thursday | December 22, 2022 | 1:21 AM
Thirteen years ago, Moya McLeish’s younger brother was killed in a car crash on Christmas Day.
The traumatic experience caused her family to skip the Yuletide celebrations altogether.
She was 16 years old when it happened, but as she progressed through adulthood, her living conditions stifled her ability to truly enjoy the festive season.
McLeish’s plight was brought to national attention by The Gleaner’s sister tabloid, THE STAR, last month as she revealed that she was living in a refurbished chicken coop in Oxford, St Elizabeth.
The desperate mother of three pleaded for help to complete a one-bedroom structure she was constructing nearby.
Days before Christmas, the 29-year-old part-time bartender was selected to receive a $100,000 grant courtesy of the NCB Foundation.
“I am very happy. I am very happy!” McLeish gushed after receiving the news during a telephone interview.
She shared that she was still living in the retrofitted fowl coop and that the grant would go “a far way” in helping to complete the one-bedroom house.
McLeish disclosed that a “good Samaritan” had reached out to her after the publication of the November STAR article and had offered her assistance. But she said that although she was making progress, no work had been done on the structure for several weeks.
A contemplative McLeish told The Gleaner that she grew up in poverty, living in a one-bedroom structure with her mother and eight siblings. Having imagined a different life for herself and her children, the young mother said she is sometimes heartbroken that she cannot provide them with better conditions.
Her son is 11, and she has two daughters aged five and three.
“Sometimes I feel disappointed in myself because my bad decisions are affecting them,” she said. “They’re asking me for things for the holidays – they’re asking me for gifts, and so forth, but I tell them that I’m not sure if it can work.”
“Even in this situation, they’re still getting a better life than what I’ve been through.”
But the timely grant is not the only reason McLeish has to celebrate the season.
A few days earlier, her mother, for the first time since her brother died, started planning to cook Christmas dinner for the family.
“This is the first from 13 years back, so I was hoping that this year would be something to smile about,” she said.
How you can help
If you are eager to help Moya complete her one-bedroom home, give her a call at 876-293-8930.