In Naibor, Kenya, change began with people coming together to help one family build a better future.
Hellen is 27 years old, a widow and the sole caregiver for her daughter and her late brother’s daughter. Without stable employment, she relied on seasonal work for years to provide for her family. Some days she could afford to cook beans. On others, when there was no work and no money left, she boiled bananas so the girls would not go to bed hungry.
The family’s living conditions were just as challenging. Hellen, her daughter and her niece lived in a one-room house built from mud and other temporary materials. During the rainy season, the ageing metal roof could no longer keep the rain out, and every storm brought new leaks and new worries.
Everything began to change in 2024, when six Habitat for Humanity Romania volunteers came together to support Hellen and help her build a safe, affordable home for her family. For more than six months, they organised fundraising activities to cover the cost of building materials as well as part of their travel expenses before travelling to Naibor in November.
There, they spent a week working alongside Hellen, her family and members of the local community to help build a new home.
They didn’t build alone
Members of the local Maasai community joined the volunteers on the build site every day. Together, they mixed mortar, raised the walls and helped build both the family’s new home and a latrine.
Today, Hellen, her daughter and her niece have a home that offers the stability they had long hoped for.
