The Lidia Noemi Saniq Family
It’s quiet outside Lidia’s new house.
A couple of cows that smack their lips on the grass in the field in front of her house. The silence is innocently interrupted by bike treads on the gravel road. 14-year-old Angel rides his bike up to the house, expertly over the cement ledge of the patio, and into the doorway.
“It was sad that we were paying rent,” says Angel. He speaks eloquently, much more articulately than most 14-year-olds.
The family was paying for a place in the city of Tecpán. They were renting, and it was causing problems. There was the financial aspect – that the family couldn’t afford to keep paying with no investment. And there was the dignity aspect – the family’s home wasn’t really theirs.
“Better for us to take out a credit with Habitat,” says Angel. He speaks like an expert on the topic.
The family was approved for credit, and before long their home was going up. In early June, the family moved to the new home. As he gives a little house tour, Angel apologizes for the mess. “We’re still moving in, but as I’m in school and my mom is working, it doesn’t give us very much time to get settled in.”
Angel remembers the group of volunteers and wanted to pass along the family’s thanks. “Thanks for all of the effort that you did, the house went up in a short time,” he says. He sends all his greetings on behalf of the family.
The family has plans to put up a wall around the house for added privacy when they get the chance and the funds are flowing. For now, they are getting their possessions arranged in their new home – a place that they can finally call theirs.
