FOR two single mothers, the night sky as the roof over their heads is but a fading memory as their dreams of owning their own home became a reality recently through Wisynco’s BOOM Energy Drink.

Fifty-one-year-old Stephanie Malcolm, a fisher vendor of Rocky Point in Clarendon, and Jacqueline Salmon of Pepper in St Elizabeth are the recent recipients of the company’s corporate social responsibility project that has been providing homes for vulnerable Jamaicans.

Malcolm learned the trade of fisher vending at 20 years old from her parents. This has provided for herself and her son Henry, the last of her four children, over the years.

“When rain fall, we get wet. We had an outside kitchen and bathroom, and that was not nice. We can’t cook when it rains, because the place wet. Sometimes we don’t have anything to eat, and because the sea so rough most times, the fishermen can’t go out to sea. So we don’t get to make any money,” Malcolm said.

Previously, her home was a dilapidated board structure, exposed to the natural elements. Yet, although all her children are grown, Malcolm longed for a space that she would feel comfortable in. It was quite a relief for Malcolm when she received the keys to her new home.

“I feel good, because now we have a good roof over our head. And I feel more comfortable to take care of myself and my son,” Malcolm said.

With tear-filled eyes, the 61-year-old Salmon recalls being forced to leave her home in Kingston to endure the deplorable conditions of the wattle and daub two-bedroom home bequeathed to her by her late grandfather.

“The conditions were very devastating. We had a problem with rats coming in. I had to tie up my clothes in scandal bag, and I couldn’t put down my stuff because rat cut them up. We didn’t have any lock and keys, and the window them mash out,” Salmon said.

Salmon lived in the deplorable conditions with her son, with no assistance from the child’s father or members of her immediate family. “I have been here fighting life with me and my son,” she said.

An office attendant, Salmon has been able to survive through the kind donations of others, including her son’s school community, local residents, and members of her community.

“Everything I give God thanks, that He has put the inspiration in you all to assist me. I always hope and pray for the best. I am very determined, so if I need something I just go and get it,” Salmon said.

Both women were upgraded to contemporary designed two-bedroom houses and a loft space. The houses are equipped with solar panels that powers small electronics and light bulbs inside the home as well as a water tank for water harvesting and indoor kitchen and bathroom facilities.

Brand manager at BOOM Energy Drink, Keteisha McHugh said Wisynco’s track record of benevolence is not only impressive; it is heart-warming because it lives up to its mandate of providing for society’s less fortunate.

“Being able to give back to Jamaica through Food For the Poor has been very satisfying. When you see someone who has nothing get a house or get a new start, we are definitely living up to our mission statement to improve the lives of our people,” McHugh said.