A roof for my land

I have never owned a piece of land of my own but I have always had a home.

I went once on a crusade to build houses for underprivileged people. As we approached, I could see the city´s south hills covered with houses built with tins and, in the distance, our first assignment: a small, very steep terrain. Beneficiaries agree to purchase a terrain and prepare it so we explored the site: someone had worked on this side of the hill making a flat surface. We were guessing if it was long enough when the owner showed up: a young woman carrying an 8th month pregnant belly. She had a smile on her face and immediately started talking without a pause. She had two other small children, was it going to be long? So happy to have us there! She struggled so much to get credit to purchase the land! Even to get someone to work on it… in her condition… And she was alone!

Before we could say anything in between her anxious sentences, our leader looked sadly at her and said it wasn’t firm enough and the house would probably slide down at the first rain. Her eyes were starting to glow with tears so I just jumped into the leveled section. I sank knee-high in mud. A little noise of surprise escaped my mouth immediately followed by the woman´s sob eruption.

She had her land but she had no home for her or her children.