Emmanuel received the keys to her brand-new home on Tuesday at Vigilance, along the East Coast of Demerara.
She said that she had applied for a house lot in 1992 and received it in 2020. However, financial constraints prevented her from constructing her own home.
“I wanted to build my home way back then. After a while, I decided I could no longer build a house because I didn’t have the strength and stamina to go through the process,” she said during an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI) on Wednesday.
Emmanuel faced obstacles while trying to build her house over the years.
“I had asked about a turn-key house, and they provided me with all the relevant documents to take to the New Building Society. But then, the New Building Society said that they didn’t have any turn-key houses. Then, I got a call that I could get a cement and steel [voucher], so I opted for that option,” she explained.
Emmanuel, who never gave up on owning her own home, reached out to Men on Mission for a house.
“I was living in my niece’s house. I had an apartment up there. There was no [proper] ventilation there,” she remarked.
She expressed her happiness and gratitude for the Men on Mission initiative, which has helped her become a homeowner.
Now, everything has changed with her new home, allowing her to save the money she previously spent on rent.
“I feel good about it. Having my own home means I am independent. I have my own space. I can get up when I want to, and I can do things at my own pace,” she noted.
Emmanuel plans to utilise some of her yard space to plant various crops.
Since its inception in 2022, the Men on Mission initiative has expanded its reach and improved the lives of many vulnerable individuals and groups through home construction and other projects.
