Meet Maria Ogato & Abdulahi Abdurahiman
Maria and Abdulahi
are from Ethiopia and both speak Oromo. Of their six children, three were born in Ethiopia before
their family came to Minnesota in August of 2000. They will be sharing their home with their sons,
Rahmat (age 13), Mohamed (age 8) and Baraka (age 2), as well as two of their daughters, Hawi (age 6)
and Najat (9 months). The couple is excited to have a have a safe place to live where their children
can have their own space and a backyard. In their free time they enjoy shopping, visiting with
friends and playing with their children. After owning their own home, Abdulahi and Maria are excited
to someday visit Ethiopia with their children so they can see where they came from and the type of
home they grew up in.
Habitat houses are not given away. HFH builds houses in partnership with people
living in poverty, and then sells the house to the homeowner partner. Because of HFH's no-profit,
no interest loans, and because the houses are built primarily with volunteer labor, mortgage
payments are affordable for low-income partners.
Homebuyers are selected based on need, ability to pay, and willingness to partner
with HFH. Before purchasing their home, homebuyers must complete 300-500 hours of "sweat
equity" - unpaid labor invested in building their houses. The families are also required to
attend ten short classes on home repair, financial management, and community life.
