We tell you the story of Lya, a young mother who grew up in an orphanage and today owns her first home, a Habitat
There are wounds that never stop bleeding. The abandonment of dad and mom is one of them. That is why when we talked to Lya, a 37-year-old woman from Estelí (northern Nicaragua), she simply collapsed. “I grew up in a village…SOS Children’s Villages, in an orphanage. I never knew my parents”, she tells us while breaking down in tears.
The tears that rolled down Lya’s cheeks were of sadness, yes, but also of joy because, thanks to Habitat for Humanity Nicaragua, her two-year-old daughter, Lya Victoria, will not have to ‘roll’ from house to house or in temporary homes, or rented houses. She already has her own house.
Thanks to the coordination between the Institute for Human Promotion of Estelí (Inphru) and Habitat Nicaragua, Lya managed to ally with us and apply to one of the seed housing projects that are subsidized by one of our donors, Mr. Matt Curtis. When she heard about the opportunity, she did not think twice and invested her savings in the contribution.
She had already bought the land a long time ago, because thanks to the sponsorship she received at the orphanage she had some savings that they gave her when she became independent, and she invested it in her dream of having her own house. Today in the Óscar Turcios neighborhood of Estelí, this young mother lives happily with her little girl. The money she used to rent a room is now invested in home improvements.
Lya’s house and 21 more were delivered between the months of May and June 2022. The houses are the first eco-friendly constructions that Habitat for Humanity Nicaragua develops, the houses have solar panels and a rainwater harvesting system, which allows families to save a little money on utility bills.
Both systems also help reduce the carbon footprint and make families more aware of the consequences of climate change and why we must work to have safe, resilient, and sustainable homes.
