Help Kaitlyn & Rethabile’s Family Survive and Build a Better Future
Hello, my name is Kaitlyn Courtney Ramiah. I’m a 26-year-old Indian woman from South Africa, turning 27 this July. I’m engaged to the love of my life, Rethabile — a strong and supportive 28-year-old Sotho woman who turns 29 on July 30. Together, we are raising our three beautiful children: Alexa (10), Karishma (9), and Joseph (7).

We are a loving LGBTQ+ family facing crisis. We have done everything we can to survive, but now we are at our breaking point — and we are reaching out for help before we lose everything.

💔 Our Current Reality
We are on the verge of being homeless. We have until the end of this month to leave the place we’re staying in because we can no longer afford rent. It’s winter in South Africa, and we’re struggling to keep our children warm and fed. Some days, we go to sleep cold and hungry.

Alexa, our oldest daughter, suffers from asthma, and the cold winter air makes it worse — especially when we don’t even have proper heating or a warm home. I also suffer from high blood pressure, which worsens with stress, hunger, and exhaustion. But no matter how sick or scared I feel, I push forward because I’m a mother.

To make things harder, two of our children — Karishma and Joseph — are not in school, because we simply cannot afford uniforms, school supplies, or even transport. As a mother, this breaks me daily. I never finished school myself. I have no matric, no formal education. I taught myself how to survive, how to be a mother, how to push forward. But sometimes, pushing forward alone is no longer enough.

We’ve begged for help — at clinics, social workers, shelters, food programs, even government offices. We were turned away every time. We’ve cried in lines, filled out forms, prayed for answers. No one came.

🧠 My Mental Health & Story of Survival
I live every day with the weight of childhood trauma. I am a survivor of rape. The abuse I endured in my younger years left deep emotional scars. I’ve been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and battle daily with depression and the mental impact of my past.

There are days where I feel like I’m drowning — but I keep holding on, because my children need me. Rethabile needs me. And deep down, I still believe there is a better life waiting for us — if only someone could help us reach it.

🌈 We Have a Dream
Even in the darkness, we dream.

Rethabile and I both have a passion for cooking. Making food brings us peace, joy, and a sense of purpose. We dream of opening a small food stall or shop where we can serve home-cooked meals and support our family with dignity. It won’t just feed us — it would feed our community too. We just need help getting started.

We don’t want to rely on donations forever. We want to work. We want to build. We want to give back. We want to show our children that even through suffering, there is still purpose, still pride, still power.