SHALIZA HASSANALI
Senior Investigative Reporter
shaliza.hassanali@guardian.co.tt
A new home could soon be on the horizon for struggling single-parent Keston Ettienne.
Two weeks after Ettienne, 50, was featured in a Guardian Media article about his hardships with his 13-year-old twin daughters Shantai and Sheimia Ettienne, the Land Settlement Agency (LSA) visited his crumbling home in Laventille and said they will try to assist him with a home improvement grant.
The news, Ettienne said, took him by surprise.
“I have to go through the process like every other applicant. LSA has to do their assessment. We now start this journey. I am hoping for the best,” Ettienne said.
Ettienne’s December 24, 2023, article “Discipline Is Key To Success,” created an outpouring of support for his family.
His story generated more than 122,000 views on the website of CNC3 News about his girls’ high academic achievements at Bishop’s Centenary College and their passion for playing the steel pan and crocheting, despite their challenges.
The twins are kept off social media and are shown right from wrong.
The conditions under which the Ettiennes live are not ideal.
Their wooden two-bedroom home is termite-infested and falling apart.
Despite this, Ettienne keeps a positive outlook for his daughters in their community which is riddled with gang warfare, gun violence and murders.
The girls attended Rose Hill Primary School which grabbed headlines in 2021 for the rapid gunfire it faced with warring gangs in the district.
The bullets that ripped through the school’s walls disrupted classes and frightened the pupils who had to dart under chairs and tables to safeguard themselves.
During those difficult times, Ettienne, a part-time cleaner at the school, ensured his twins focused on their school work and kept grounded.
Among those who rendered assistance and offered words of encouragement were police officers, priests, academics, a national footballer and a State agency.
On Christmas Day scores of people showed up at Ettienne’s home offering gifts and groceries to assist the family.
“Some of these people were from my community...they too are in need but they still tried to give something small. It showed that Laventille people still have love in their hearts...they still care. God always showed me to walk by faith and not sight. He sent a few good people to assist us.”
Officers from the Morvant and Arouca Police Stations who showed up at his home also praised Ettienne for his parenting skills and determination not to give up.
Dr Wayne Charles-Soverall, senior lecturer at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, campus in Barbados reached out to Ettienne telling him that he wanted to share his remarkable story with his undergraduate students who don’t have a perspective of life outside of the country.
Trinidadian poet, author and motivational speaker Diana Benskin who lives in the US was one of the many who communicated with Ettienne telling him his story served to inspire others in similar situations.
Two priests from the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception in Port-of-Spain provided the girls with school shoes.
“They also blessed the house and them girls,” Ettienne said with pride.
A Tunapuna principal whom Ettienne did not name also offered the teenagers free lessons to assist them with their secondary education.
Thanking the principal for the kind gesture, Shantai said, words could not express how she felt.
“We are forever grateful for the help. Our repayment would be to learn as much as we can and make our father and community proud,” Sheimia interjected.
Ettienne was also taken by surprise when a national footballer showed up at his doorstep telling him he was motivated by his story and wished more fathers could follow in his footsteps.
The family also received calls from people in Uganda, France, USA, Jamaica, Barbados and Tobago who encouraged him to continue standing at his daughters’ side.
“I remembered not having anything to eat for Christmas...my cupboards were bare. And on Christmas morning more than 100 people came to my home to offer a meal and to provide groceries. That feeling was magical.”
Boxes of foodstuff and cases of water and soft drinks occupied the floor of Ettienne’s small kitchen.
“The boxes have been making us feel claustrophobic,” Sheimia said, jokingly.
Though they have a surplus of food, Ettienne said they are still managing without a refrigerator.
Their washing machine no longer works.
“It’s hard but we still living ...we going....we fighting.”
Anyone wishing to help Ettienne can contact him at 332 0416.