Help Loretta Rebuild After a Devastating WWII Bomb Blast

In 2021, Loretta Ale was preparing for a family dinner of crabs over the barbeque in the Solomon Islands, when an explosion killed her husband John and thirteen year old son, Junior.

Unbeknown to Loretta, the unexploded bomb from WWII had been lying dormant in her backyard for decades, heating up underneath the fire.

It's a story that is painfully familiar to families in the formerly war-torn Solomon Islands, with researchers estimating more than 20 people are killed each year.

Loretta continues to live with severe injuries from the blast and now cares for her remaining children, but under increasingly challenging conditions.

Despite struggling to walk, she is now the sole breadwinner of the family; often sleeping on the concrete of the local markets where she works as she can not afford to catch the bus home.

The family roof is caving in, and she is having to stay with others, on the brink of homelessness.

I’m Cleo Fraser, a New Zealand journalist working with Loretta through our film The War Below. Because local platforms aren’t available, I’m collecting donations here and transferring all funds raised directly to Loretta, minus unavoidable bank fees.

This money will be used to build a safe home for Loretta and her children.