Paul
Paul and Susana immigrated from Kenya in hopes of building a brighter future for their children. Paul works as a Certified Nursing Assistant with Dorothea Dix Hospital in Raleigh. The family lived in a small, cramped apartment where their three children, an 11 year-old son and two daughters ages 5 and 6 shared a bedroom. Even though they lived modestly, rent was expensive and there was never enough money. “In the back of my mind, as a family man,” said Paul, “I was looking one day to have a house. But it seemed like a farfetched dream.”
When Paul first heard about Habitat for Humanity, he thought there must be a catch. How could he afford a home? Then he learned about the support of a generous community, where neighbors help to build homes with volunteer labor and donors cover the cost of building materials. “When I discovered that ‘sweat equity’ was just working,” Paul said, “to me, that was just a miracle.”
Now that the family lives in their safe, affordable home of his own, Paul says that he feels as if he is “somebody.” He appreciates that his children will one day come to know what he did for them. Now, the family is even capable of even putting some money away in savings. “That means a better future for my children. They are young children. But I know that soon they will be going to college,” he says.