“Home is something that you can always come back to, knowing that you’ll always have love at all times,” said Adol’s son. “The house is going to make everything better for us.”
It was February 10, 2006. Adol and her large family boarded a plane and said goodbye to Ethiopia where they had lived most of their lives. After moving from Kenya to Sudan and finally to Ethiopia, this would be their biggest move yet.
“That was a good day,” said one of her five sons. “I remember crying,” her daughter Achol said, reminiscing on the scary and exciting journey.
Coming to America meant opportunity for the family. They knew that they were headed for opportunity and a better life where they could pursue a stable livelihood and formal education.
The family felt like they were blessed to land and settle in Tucson, they still haven’t felt like they’ve made it home.
“Now I’m very happy,” agreed Adol, who explained how excited she it to move into her new home.
Adol’s daughter is looking forward to having her own room for the first time in her life. They are all optimistic that having a stable home is going to provide opportunity to further their education and serve them for years to come. But for this family, the house means much more than a safe place to stay.
“What I’m looking forward to knowing that my littler brothers and my sister, they’re going to have a house where they can grow up and my mom will have a house where she can take care of stuff that she really wants,” explained her son.
“Once I move in, I’m going to know that this is something I own. I know it’s going to be mine in the long run – for me and my family,” said Adol. “God bless Habitat. I’m very happy.”
Adol has already found a home in the community of volunteers and fellow future homeowners who she has worked alongside on the construction sites and HabiStore. She says that even after her move-in date, she will come back and work alongside Habitat Tucson to help provide homeownership opportunities for other hardworking families.
For the Lual family, there’s a bright and shining future at the end of a very long, determined journey.
“(Habitat) shows you that people really want to help in a good way,” she said.