(The Akhtar family, centre, among volunteers and sponsors of the Habitat for Humanity in their new home. Bradley Karp/Afternoon Reporter)
The Akhtar family, of Lahore, Pakistan have a new home in Fort McMurray.
“Today is a very exciting day for me and my family for having a brand new house,” says Mansoor Akhtar, who along with his wife and three kids are the recipients of the new home. “We are from Lahore, Pakistan, I’ve been here for a few years. I’m a pipefitter by trade. Making a living alright, now we have a house it’s going to be a better life.
The Akhtar’s have two young boys and a girl. They’ve been in Fort McMurray for two years.
“We were living in a small apartment , but now we are so happy, ever kid has their own room. My daughter was so excited, she choose the colour pink on her room, and my son selected a green one. So I let them go to make them happy the way they want to live. As a Canadian life they changed it now, the culture we have back home the day says ‘This is what it is!’ and they have to take it,” said Akhtar.
The Akhtar’s had to apply to Habitat for Humanity Wood Buffalo and were chosen as the recipients of the fourth such project here in the region.
The recipient family receives their new home, along with a zero down, interest free mortgage, payments are capped at between 25 per cent to 30 per cent of their income.
“They [Akhtar’s] were very enthusiastic, they seemed to have all of their stuff together they were very excited to partner with habitat. That was the kicker for the family selection committee too,” said Crystal Lewis-Wilton, acting Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity Wood Buffalo.
“At some points it has felt like two steps forward three steps back, we’ve had great support form the community, each time we seem to run into a roadblock someone would jump in and help us out,” said Lewis-Wilton speaking about building the new home.
The lot that the home sits on at 116 Greenbriar Bay, in Gregoire, used to house a condemned trailer.
Habitat for Humanity bought the property, removed the trailer and the purchased an empty module from the United-States which they then shipped up to the lot.
Volunteers and supporters helped paint, install furnishings and turn the trailer into a home for the family.
Recipient families also have to invest 500 sweat equity hours into the project, since November, the Akhtar’s have completed 350 of those hours and will finish the remaining 150 hours by volunteering in the community.
Work on the next Habitat for Humanity home begin right away says Lewis-Wilton, “We’ll be building our committee’s, we’re actually looking to build a duplex for our next home.
We’ve selected one of our next partner families, so she’ll start working on her hours right away, then we’ll be looking for our second partner family and back ups for both of those.”
Habitat for Humanity has not opened the application process for the next family. Families looking for information can email familyselection@habitatwoodbuffalo.ca.
“Fort McMurray is a nice place to live, I work on a plant so I’m going to be here for a couple of years, maybe 20 years, maybe all of my life. I’ll go work at Syncrude, Suncor wherever I can find a job as a pipefitter. There’s lots of work, that’s why I chose this town to stay here, raise my family here, nice small town. Good people around, nice community,” said a beaming Akhtar.
