Although we are not there, we can see and feel the joy and gratitude in the smiles of the two families that the 13 Houses Campaign helped in Venezuela, in the municipality of Andrés Eloy Blanco.
It all started two years ago, during a home visit, when one of the Daughters of Charity saw a house shared by two families: Angélica and Oscar with their two children and Eduardo and Desiree with their three children. The roof and the walls were seriously damaged; one could see several cracks; and it was clear that this house was not safe. Deeply concerned for the safety and well-being of both families, the Sisters contacted the 13 House Campaign with a project proposal.
After many difficulties, they were able to build a duplex house with two floors and a nice view of the city; and the families decorated the interior with homemade paint to make it even more welcoming.
Angélica Meléndez, one of the beneficiaries, is very grateful to the 13 Houses Campaign as she told us: ‘God bless everyone and thank you again for this happiness and help you gave us, because there is nothing more beautiful than giving our children a home and feeling safe in it, and without the help of the 13 Houses team, it wouldn’t have been possible’.
We are very happy to have helped our brothers and sisters in need; as St. Vincent de Paul said: ‘To this end, we should help and support one another and strive for peace and union among ourselves’. On 22nd March both houses finally got blessed and the families can now start their new life. We hope that living in a safe place that they can call ‘home’ will break the cycle of homelessness; giving them hope for a better and brighter future; and bringing a bit of peace into their lives.
