Before the arrival of the Coronavirus pandemic, Sigrid Fonseca was getting by – she was employed as a cleaner and was selling clothes – but life is so difficult these days that she is now facing eviction for being unable to pay rent for her home.

“It has been very hard,” the Sea Cows Bay resident told BVI Platinum News on a wet Saturday afternoon underneath a white tent in a small area in the parking lot adjacent to the BVI Taxi Association and Bang Good Food Truck in Road Town.

The rain came down in bucket loads as she and her daughters, Rebecca Fonseca and Rochelle Wharton, attempted to cover the clothes that were neatly packed on tables for sale.

Her vending journey started six years ago. She started selling snacks to school children and then clothes.

“It’s slow. It is not helping because I don’t make much, maybe because of the Corona. I owe the landlord three months now; the man ready to put me out, he break down the door and tell me I have to move from there,” she revealed despairingly.

She continued: “Somebody helping me to build a house in Sea Cows Bay, but I need to get help to buy some plywood because we need some plywood. I really need this right now; it’s an emergency right now.”

Fonseca said as a single mother, she has had to swallow any pride she has had to seek help from the Family Support Network (FSN) to put food on the table.

Challenges

Ms. Fonseca said she and her daughters were once located near Clover’s, but when a church nearby was being demolished to make way for a new building, her clothing and tables were destroyed.

She claimed to have reported the matter to the police because she felt she was deserving of compensation in that regard; however, she is still waiting outcome of on matter.

In the meantime, she said she had to start all over with the help of family, friends and the wider community and was relocated to an area close to Rite Way in Road Town.

There she was faced with yet another hurdle, some people did not favour her being in the area, and she was again moved to her current location to continue to make an honest living.

“I ain’t working right now, I looking a job. I used to clean,” she stated.

While she has dreams of better days, Ms. Fonseca’s goal is to get a decent house where she and her children can call home.