Sponsor child, Melanie Maceda can now enjoy the safety and comfort of a new house thanks to Children Incorporated (CI) and VFV’s Build-A-Home project.
Melanie and her five family members became homeless when Typhoon Yolanda flattened their neighbourhood last year.
For the last ten months they have been camping on the foundation of their Mahayahay home — sleeping side-by-side on a small concrete slab.
“My family is just so happy and we are so grateful to VFV for giving us a home,” said 16-year-old Melanie.
“It has been very difficult since the typhoon; our home has just been a tarp.
“It wasn’t a home if it was raining — it was full of holes and when it wasn’t wet it was so hot.”
The family were eligible recipients of the VFV Build-A-Home project through Melanie’s sponsorship.
“It means a lot to me to be sponsored; I am so grateful for the support I receive every month,” said Melanie who has been a sponsor child for nine years.
“When I was in elementary I was very, very thin and had bad asthma — I am a lot healthier now and it is much easier to concentrate.
“And now we have had our home rebuilt too!”
The Macedas, who tragically lost eight of their family members in the typhoon, have hung a sign of thanks on the front of their freshly painted white and orange home.
VFV volunteers from the US, Australia and New Zealand worked on rebuilding and painting the Maceda’s new home.
The VFV Build-A-Home project has been transforming the lives of low-income Filipino families since 2005.
Since last year’s devastating typhoon left thousands of families homeless and living in tents — there has never been a greater need for projects like VFV’s Build-A-Home.
Click here to find out more about the Build-A-Home project and how you can be a part of it!
*Written by volunteer Emma Bailie, journalist from Australia