Two Immigrant Families Build Homes with Habitat for Humanity in Woodstock

Habitat for Humanity – North Central Georgia celebrated the hammering of the first nails for two houses built in partnership with the Darvishi/Kianpour and Aboubaker families in Woodstock on Saturday, May 6th. The houses are located in walking distance to the local elementary school, providing the families with a strong foundation for the future. The building site was muddy from recent rain, but the volunteer crews and families were excited to get their hands dirty to start construction on the two homes. Construction began after a brief ceremony and hammering of the first nails by the families and representatives from the home sponsors.

Unlikely Neighbors

The two families are unlikely neighbors who had long journeys to Georgia. Rouzbeh Darvishi, and his wife, Azam Kianpour, immigrated to the U.S. from Iran, and Kadidja Aboubaker was raised in Djibouti on the northeastern coast of Africa and lived in France and then England before coming to the U.S. Although their paths to the U.S. were different, both families share the dream of providing better futures for their families.

Rouzbeh and Azam, both from small Iranian cities, came to the U.S. in 2013. Rouzbeh, a civil engineer, was unable to make a decent living in economically-depressed Iran, and there was no hope of ever owning their own home. Upon arriving in Cumming, the couple started working hard to secure a more stable future. Azam worked at McDonald’s, and Rouzbeh worked at Goodwill Industries. Azam became pregnant with their son, Davin, a year later and suffered serious complications, forcing her to stop working. Undeterred, Rouzbeh found another job and started working more than 60 hours a week. Now, he is an HVAC technician and works part-time for a pizza delivery restaurant. They smiled throughout the First Nail Ceremony and said simply, “We are very excited.” They are looking forward to raising their son in the home they are helping build.

Kadidja Aboubaker has lived in four different countries and speaks three languages. She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2015, and she lives in Roswell with her mother, Malioune, son, Loyan, and daughter, Degan. The family is cramped in their substandard apartment, and they are eager to move into their new home in August. Kadidja worked for Whole Foods for more than 5 years and recently started working for Sprouts. She is pursuing her GED at Gwinnett Technical College and looks forward to completing a pastry chef certification. Kadidja’s smile was infectious as she hammered in the first nails of her house.

“I am very grateful and excited to have been given the opportunity to build my own Habitat home, a beautiful, affordable home. Our current living condition is stressful. We are overcrowded, and I am always worried about the next rent increase. Being accepted in the program is a gift of God and a blessing to my family. My kids will have their own rooms where they can grow as an individual and also thrive academically. It will mean a new beginning that God has given us through the hard work of Habitat for Humanity - NCG, their professional staff, their amazing volunteers, and most importantly their generous sponsors,” expressed Kadidja about the start of construction on her new home.

Generous Sponsors

The UPS Foundation is making the construction of Davishi/Kianpour family’s home possible through their generous full-house sponsorship. The day marked the beginning of the construction of UPS’s 12th Habitat home and will bring the UPS Foundation’s total gifts to Habitat North Central Georgia to well over $1,000,000. Close to 250 employees of UPS will volunteer an estimated 1,500 to 1,750 hours to help build what will be Habitat – North Central Georgia’s 294th home. “The UPS Foundation, UPS and our employees are proud to partner with and support Habitat- North Central Georgia’s efforts to provide affordable housing,” said Mark Susor, Vice President of Corporate Transportation for UPS. Mark is also the President of the Board of Directors for Habitat – North Central Georgia.

The Aboubaker family’s home is made possible by the generous support of several sponsors, including ENERCON, Charles Schwab, Evonik, Schneider Electric, Travelers, Turf Masters, and the Eyl Family. Robert Bryan, Chief Operating Officer of ENERCON and Board Member for Habitat – North Central Georgia, helped hammer in the first nails for this house. He remarked, “ENERCON and our great employees are excited to participate in another Habitat build. We enjoy serving in the communities where we live, and helping another family make home ownership a reality is a great experience. Our employees not only donate their time to build, but also make personal contributions to fund our portion of the build donation.”

Construction on the two homes is scheduled to be complete in August.

About Habitat for Humanity - North Central Georgia

Habitat for Humanity - North Central Georgia is a non-profit, Christian housing ministry that builds simple, decent homes for purchase by low- to moderate-income families who demonstrate a capacity for responsible homeownership. Since its inception in 1995, Habitat-NCG has completed 291 homes, serving over 1,075 family members in North Fulton, Cherokee and Forsyth/Dawson counties. Each family is required to attend six educational classes and perform 200-300 sweat equity hours. Families earn between 30% and 60% of the Atlanta area median income and purchase their homes from Habitat which provides them with a 30-year, no-interest loan. Family members work side by side with the volunteers, sponsors, and Habitat staff to build their homes. These families not only get to experience the pride of homeownership but they also know that their lives will be changed forever. In addition to new home construction, Habitat North Central Georgia started a home repair program in 2014. To date, 29 repair projects have been completed serving veterans and seniors. For more information on Habitat for Humanity-North Central Georgia, please visit www.habitat-ncg.org.

About the UPS Foundation

Established in 1951 and based in Atlanta, Georgia, the UPS Foundation identifies specific areas where its backing clearly impacts social issues. In support of this strategic approach, The UPS Foundation has identified the following focus areas for giving: volunteerism, diversity, community safety and the environment with the goal to fund powerful programs that make a lasting difference to the global community. In 2016, UPS and its employees, active and retired, invested more than $116.6 million in charitable giving around the world. The UPS Foundation can be found on the web at UPS.com/foundation. To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS.

About ENERCON

Enercon Services, Inc. (ENERCON) is an architectural engineering, environmental, technical and management services firm providing a broad range of professional services to private, public, and government sector clients throughout the United States. ENERCON is currently the 2nd largest engineering firm in the Atlanta area. For more information, please see www.enercon.com.