Future Homeowners Khalid and Huma

This family of seven is planting seeds of stability with Habitat

When Khalid, Huma and their children left Afghanistan in 2021, they sold everything they had. They bought three small silk carpets that they will unroll for the first time in their new Habitat for Humanity home in Aurora.

“We haven’t unrolled them in this country. We are saving them for our new house,” said Khalid, who was a pharmacist in Afghanistan and worked for the U.S. as a contractor, which made him a target for the Taliban when the U.S. pulled out troops in 2021. He now works as a technician for a pharmacy company.

When the family first came to the U.S., they lived in a refugee camp in New Jersey and moved to Lakewood where they had relatives. Lutheran Family Services helped them with immigration paperwork, work permits and housing. Partnering with Habitat Metro Denver is the next step in the family’s long journey to find stability and consistency.

The family, three boys and two girls ages four to 17, currently live in a three-bedroom apartment.

Their new Habitat home, which they are buying at Mountain View Community Homes in Aurora, will have four bedrooms, two-and-a-half bathrooms, a backyard, a porch and a large kitchen.

“The neighborhood is really nice and the kitchen is big. I like those things very much,” shares Huma, who was a teacher in Afghanistan and now works in a retail clothing store. She is learning English and wants to return to teaching.

Khalid had worked on their home in Kabul, but it was stone and brick, not wood. As part of his sweat equity hours with Habitat, he learned to use a power saw, a nail gun and other tools. He, Huma, their oldest daughter, 17, and their two oldest sons, 16 and 12, also worked in the production shop painting.

“It was fun. People were really nice and showed us how to do things,” shares Khalid, who also valued the online classes about homeownership. “I learned a lot from the classes about credit, mortgages, taxes. Most of those things were new to me.”

Khalid’s brother-in-law is coming to visit from Afghanistan in the spring and will bring seeds for flowers that are unique to the family’s home country. Khalid plans to plant them in the new yard.

“We are really appreciative that Habitat helps people in need,” shares Khalid. “We will be thankful for all of our lives for this opportunity.”