Celebrating: A New Home
- By Pat Curry -

Sunshine Salas stands at the intersection of World Vision Street and Habitat for Humanity Street in Isaiahville, Maragondon, the main site of the Jimmy Carter Work Project 1999 in the Philippines.

Leonisa Salas to Habitat World Readers: 'I Am Very Happy'

Every time she felt the ground shake or the wind begin to howl, Leonisa Salas was afraid. The hut she shared with her family provided no protection from the constant threat of typhoons and tremors.

Now, living in their new Habitat home, Leonisa has a different fear: "I think this is a dream," she said. "I am afraid to wake up."

Leonisa, fondly called "Nanay Nisa" by many in the community, earns a living by cutting bamboo into barbecue sticks and selling them to food vendors. She also does laundry. Her husband is a handyman who also raises pigs. At 59, she has buried three of her seven children, and lost one house to fire and two more to typhoons.

It was she who raised her voice about the need for decent shelter. She and her family worked tirelessly to meet the criteria to become Habitat homeowners. Their new house was sponsored by the readers of Habitat World magazine.

"I cannot stop my tears," she says. "I am very happy."


Pat Curry is a writer based in Athens, Ga. She volunteered her professional services to Habitat World during the JCWP in the Philippines.


Reprinted from Habitat World Magazine, August/September, 1999.
This article may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
©1999 Habitat for Humanity International