David and Furaha’s Habitat Story

“Habitat just gave us a second start,” says Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver partner Furaha, wife of David and mother of three teenagers. “Coming from being a refugee when they burned our house, we came to America and struggled looking for a job, looking for life. Habitat is making us alive again.”

Furaha and David immigrated to America looking for safety from war in their home country. As parents of two boys and a girl between the ages of 14 and 17, they are now focused on building a safe and stable life for their whole family. David and Furaha both work full time as a security professional and housekeeper respectively.

Currently, David and Furaha rent an apartment where the rent keeps going up, the neighborhood is unsafe, and the landlord is unresponsive to fixing in-apartment repairs. They also worry about the safety and security of their family in their current apartment.

By partnering with Habitat, Furaha and David are looking forward to rebuilding their family’s life in America. Their three kids are also very excited about having their own rooms and a backyard.

Furaha is so excited to become a homeowner: “For me, being a refugee, coming to a foreign country, owning a home – I feel so happy. Owning a home in America is a big deal for me. I’m so happy about it.”

David’s focus in on rebuilding and continuing to give back to his community:

“I left everything in my country. My house was burned, I lost everything and was very insecure. So when I come to America, I’m secure and now I get an opportunity to build my house. So I feel like I get peace.”

In addition to building their home, David and Furaha look to the future now possible with the security of their home as a foundation. “I plan to go back to school for nursing,” says Furaha. David’s working toward a new career as well, “I’m going to school to improve my English and then to study medical interpretation because I speak more than six languages.”

David and Furaha recognize the importance of their partnership and building alongside volunteers and staff. “I like to be a volunteer and I can say it’s one of my careers,” explains David. “I like to help people. When I was a refugee in Kenya, I volunteered with UN agents to help refugees as a community leader in Nairobi. Even when I came to America, I began looking for a way to volunteer and help people. I volunteered through our church and Volunteers for America. I feel good when I’m a volunteer.”

To all the volunteers and supporters who make Habitat’s program possible, Furaha says, “I would thank everyone by hugging all of them. It’s so amazing. Thank you for giving us home and security.”