Every parent wants their child to have a safe, stable place to call home. A place where they can study, play and grow up to achieve their dreams. But for many families, finding an affordable home feels like an impossible dream.

Anita is a hardworking single mom who knows this struggle all too well. After leaving Nigeria for a better life in Canada, she was filled with hope. But finding a decent, affordable home proved challenging.

Juggling multiple jobs while going to school, Anita worked hard to provide for her son, Ben. Rapidly rising rents forced them to move nearly every year, and it broke her heart to see him go through the instability of constantly changing apartments and schools. “I felt really sad, especially for Ben. I knew moving so much was really hard on him.”

When Anita spotted a Habitat for Humanity flyer, she didn’t think she would qualify for homeownership. Ben surprised her with his encouragement and urged her to apply.

Through Habitat for Humanity Manitoba, Anita was approved to purchase her own home with a no down payment, affordable mortgage. When she found out?

“I sprang from my room when I saw the e-mail. I told my mother who was spending the summer with me, ‘Your daughter is going to be a homeowner!’ I was just so happy. We were joyous.”

Anita and Ben moved into their new Habitat home in August 2024. To complete her 500 partnership hours, Anita volunteered at her local Habitat ReStore and helped build her own home alongside volunteers and future neighbours, measuring, hammering nails and raising walls. Anita didn’t just gain construction skills — she built a tight-knit community. Her neighbours and fellow volunteers are now friends, more like family.

With the stability of her Habitat home, Anita’s been able to continue to work towards her degree in applied disaster and emergency studies – inspired by casual work shifts with the Canadian Red Cross to support disaster recovery – while still providing for Ben. She’s set to graduate in 2026 and start a career she’s passionate about, focused on giving back to the community that’s given her so much.

Ben finally has the space to thrive too. He has room to practice soccer, and he’s dreaming bigger than ever before.

“I finally have peace of mind. And I feel satisfied as a mother when I look at my son and see the happiness written all over his face,” says Anita. “Having a home is a big achievement for me.”