| Habitat Homeowner rises to the challenge |
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Stuffed into their two bedroom apartment in New Brighton, plagued with
mice and cockroach infestations, this seven-member family was cramped.
With wall-to-wall beds in the bedrooms and some of the boys on a
mattress in the living room, there was no space left to live. Farhiya
Ali began to feel the strain on her privacy.
"With so many people in the apartment, needing the bathroom, we can't even brush our teeth alone," said Farhiya. An Ethiopia native, Farhiya Ali has worked hard for her successes, and to make a good life for her five children and her mother. Acclimating to a new culture with new values and customs can be both exhilarating and challenging. Farhiya found herself in a culture where family autonomy is preserved and traditional female roles are challenged. "In my country, the woman is very submissive, and she stays home with her children. Here in America, the woman is sometimes the main and only breadwinner for her family," she explains. "In Ethiopia, the families help each other. Here in America, sometimes you find yourself alone, which is the state I found myself in." Once settled in the Twin Cities, Farhiya set goals for herself; first to learn English, and second to acquire the job skills which would allow her to provide for her family. Farhiya earned her GED, and received a certification in child development. Her achievements paid off and soon she was employed as a teacher's aide and completed her Child Development Accreditation (CDA). "This was a challenge, trying to do all the things I needed to do for myself and my family," said Farhiya. "But through faith and believing I would come out better in the end, I kept on going." Although Farhiya made good on her first goals, she felt the need to provide a decent place to raise her family. After hearing about the Habitat program from a coworker, Farhiya dropped her application off as quickly as possible. After four months on a waiting list, Farhiya received the call in October. "When we heard we prayed, we cried; we were happy," she said. "I still don't know how we got so lucky." After last month's dedication, Farhiya is now preparing to move her family into their new Habitat home. While completing the sweat-equity on the house, Farhiya joyfully arrived each day with a thermos of hot tea to share with the volunteers. "I loved working with lots of different people," she said. "I learned so many new things." The Ali family is excited to start a new life in their home. At first, the young boys were apprehensive about changing schools, but after seeing their new home, they quickly came around. The excitement of new bedrooms to claim, privacy in the bathroom, and a living room to run around in, helped them overcome all of their new-kid-on-the-block jitters. Now, the children are thrilled to have a home where friends can visit, and Farhiya eagerly awaits the first warm sunny day when she can mow her yard, plant new flowers, and invite friends over to BBQ. "Having this home will give me the opportunity to have something that's mine, that I can really take care of," said Farhiya. Wasting no time, Farhiya is setting new goals for herself. She plans to return to school to earn an Associates Degree in Child Development. She also hopes to continue her relationship with Twin Cities Habitat as volunteer. "I will not stop here, I promise to give back," she said. Contributed by Shelly Darnall |
