Help Build a New Home for a Family in Need

Hi, my name is Kendal and I am a 24-year-old missionary who's been doing missions work in Constanza, Dominican Republic since 2015. It's a place that's become like a second home to me, thanks to the incredible community at Cristo Esperanza de Vida church.

Recently, the pastor shared a story with me that really tugged at my heartstrings. It's about a family in desperate need of help – Nen, his wife, and their three young boys.

Nen and his family live in a tiny village called Gramazo, tucked away deep in the mountains, completely off-grid and isolated from the modern world. No internet, no cell service, and no electricity. The water they drink trickles down from the mountains through PVC pipes.

This family's current home consists of a single room with dirt floors, where all 5 of them sleep together on a single bed. When it rains, water enters the home and soaks the bed, forcing them to rely on kindhearted neighbors to take them in until it dries again. Their only access to a bathroom is a community latrine, now in very poor sanitary condition. At this point, nearly everyone in the family is sick and suffering from gastrointestinal issues caused by parasites. The closest major hospital is 3.5 hours away in Santiago.

Nen does agricultural work and manages to make sure that his family is fed, but with no job opportunities in this type of town, they struggle to meet their basic needs. Missionaries from Cristo Esperanza de Vida regularly bring food and clothes to Nen's family and the surrounding community. But despite their efforts, they currently lack the resources to build a house for this family in need.

By supporting this project, you have the power to change the trajectory of this family for generations to come. Seriously, we've seen it happen before – missionaries have built houses in the past and completely transformed the lives of over a dozen families in and around Constanza.

For less than $6,000 we can bring this family out of a life of sickness and despair, and carry them onto a path of hope and prosperity. Together, we can make a difference. Together, we can build hope. Together, we can change lives.

Thank you for taking the time to read Nen's story. Your support means the world to me and to this family in need. May all the glory be to God!

[I've refrained from including photos of the family on this public platform to respect their privacy, but they have consented to sharing photos of them and their house, so please reach out to me if you'd like to see them!]

The pastor went and received up-to-date costs from the local suppliers:

1) Hardware Materials (like nails, screws, cement blocks, tape, and everything else) = $2,150

2) Plywood = $102

3) Wood = $1,598

4) Paint = $282

5) Transportation of materials = $603

6) Labor = $862

TOTAL COST = $5,597

I've set the goal to $5,900 to cover unexpected costs. Any additional funds will go toward the wages of workers and/or providing food to the local community.

[The town of Gramazo is unnamed on maps and has no official roads, but the pastor helped me pinpoint it on Google Maps. Check it out here]