Today we visited two families homes in Debre Berhan. The first was Warko and Asalefs home which is in the town. Warko has been working with us at the site every day since we have got here however yesterday his wife Asalef replaced him. They have been waiting for 4 years to get a Habitat house. They will get one within the next few months - it will be one of the ones we have been working on this week. They are paying 150birr rent on their current house.. Which is just over £4 a month. The house is a small room - with 2 beds. There at 3 children which means 5 people share this one room. They don't have a kitchen or bathroom - there is a communal kitchen in the area but Asalef told us that it is very dirty especially in winter. There is no communal toilet. Seeing this house was really difficult for us all. On leaving Aimee gave the 2 sons 2 football kits and the daughter nail polish - they gave us the tightest hugs. It was very emotional for everyone leaving this home, and although we know that Warko and his family will be getting a house, it's still upsetting to know that thousands of other families will live this way all of their lives.
The next home we visited was at the site. It brightened up everyone's spirits as it was a Habitat house. The family have been living in it for just over a year now and it is beautiful. They have even extended out the back to make a kitchen, toilet and extra bedroom for the wife's sister. At the front they grow carrots potatoes and onions, and they own some sheep. We could see the dramatic change in living conditions, and how a families income will prove once they participate in a building programme with Habitat.
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