Isabel and her son Edwin, 14, lived for eight years in this ramshackle hut.

PACHACAMAC, Peru – Isabel’s home looked more like a pile of trash than a house.

The hardworking single mother had come to the community of Pachacamac eight years ago to settle down and raise her son. She built their hut with her own two hands out of the materials she could find— but the walls of woven-reed mats made for a flimsy structure.

Before long, the materials began to weaken under the wind and rain and many of the mats ripped. Isabel did the only thing she could do—patch the holes with plastic bags and other materials she could retrieve from the garbage.

When Operation Blessing staff first saw the house, they were surprised to learn that someone actually lived in the hut.

“We couldn’t imagine anyone living in those conditions,” said OB Peru staff Rocio Borrego.

It was a hard life for Isabel and her son, Edwin, 14. The winters were especially difficult, when the rains came and soaked through their makeshift roof.

“At night we cover ourselves with blankets and we put plastic on top,” Isabel explained, “so that the rain coming through the holes doesn’t get us wet.”

In only one day, Operation Blessing staff and volunteers built this new house of wood for Isabel and Edwin and six other homes for families in need.

There was simply no time or money for Isabel to improve her house. Every day, she works as a housekeeper, where she washes, irons, cleans, and cooks. She is paid just enough to get by. The little money she makes, she uses to provide for her son.

“I want my child to be a professional, so all that I earn I spend on his food and for his studies,” Isabel said.

To help Isabel achieve her dream of a better life for her and her son, Operation Blessing built her family a sturdy new house made of wood.

A team of OBI staff and volunteers from a local church rebuilt Isabel’s house in a single day, along with six other homes in the area.

“This seems like a dream,” said Isabel as she watched her new home being built.

The construction went all day and into the night, but the workers kept going until the last piece of roofing was in place. Isabel thanked each and every person for their hard work.

“To see you working as you just did today, without expecting anything in return, was a life lesson for us all. Thank you Operation Blessing!”

HOW YOU CAN HELP

This microenterprise venture is one of many Operation Blessing projects touching lives around the world. You can be a part of improving the quality of life for impoverished communities by supporting these and other life-changing programs.

 

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