Silvas Settle In House They Helped Build
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Del.icio.usWaimanalo’s Silva ohana is one of 22 Hawaii families who are the lucky recipients of a new home, thanks to Honolulu Habitat for Humanity and its fifth annual Build-a-Thon - and it all began with a phone call and a meeting in the community.
The six-bedroom home replaces the dilapidated house that Debbie Silva, her husband Kimo, their two daughters and their six grandchildren lived in for the past seven years.
“It looked like it was falling down,” admitted Debbie Silva.“There were holes in the floor and the walls were separating.” Since the house was demolished in April of last year and construction began on the lot, the family moved temporarily to a two-bedroom house in Kailua. With the support of more than 1,000 volunteers, the self-help housing group completed the structure. Debbie and Kimo received the keys to their new home at an Aug. 22 dedication ceremony.
As part of the HHH agreement, the Silvas performed 250 hours of sweat equity, including Debbie herself. Although she was prevented from doing physical labor because of a handicap, she offered her help in other ways.
“I will be around to help Habitat for a long time,” she vowed.“It’s a good cause, and I appreciate what they did for us.”
The Silva home is the 62nd one built by HHH, which kicked off its sixth annual Build-a-Thon Aug. 14-15 with the construction of the Ha’o and Ne family homes in Waimanalo. The Ha’o family site is at 2239 Anianiku St., and the Nes are building at 41-924 Oluolu St.
The HHH mission is to eliminate substandard housing on Oahu. Their motto: Building houses, building hope!
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