Family Stories

Story #1
A Home in Fargo
By Abbey Thompsen

Habitat for Humanity has an eclectic roster of families they have provided homes for. To the list add the Oladunjoye clan. The African family of three includes Oladele, Margaret, and their Fargo-born six-year-old son, Ola, named after his father. 

They came to America over eight years ago, and lived in New York where they maintained their first US residence for 1 1/2 years. A friend of Margaret’s twin brother helped them get to Fargo from the East Coast.

Why Fargo? Margaret responds, “We love Fargo! We love the cold weather!” Fargo’s below-freezing temperatures in the dead of winter aren’t usually amenities sought after, but this family loves this world different from Africa.

They’ve lived in a two-bedroom apartment for the last five years. “Lots of prayer” and a completed application were their ticket into a home from Habitat for Humanity.  Margaret says her family is so excited about their new home that they looked at its latest developments every day.

To the Oladunjoye family, this house means a better life and endless freedoms. Margaret says they will be “free to live and do anything we want to in the yard.” She says she is particularly excited about being able to have barbecues and have a safe place for their son to play.

A new life is beginning for this family with this house built just for them. Margaret and Oladele celebrated their 10-year anniversary on September 2 and they hope to eventually fill the four-bedroom home with more children.

This very gracious family recently moved into the 11th house built by the tireless Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity construction crew, with the sponsorship of Hope Lutheran Church of Fargo and major funding from a grant by Thrivent Financial.

Story #2
Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity’s 11th Build:The Partnership Between Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity and a Family: Before and After

On Friday, April 21st, 2006 I went to visit with Faris and Zozan at their Habitat home, which was completed in the fall of 2005.  As I turned into their driveway, the elementary school across the street was just letting out; there were children everywhere.  I walked up to the front door, but before I could knock, two out of their four children came running up to their house.  They were very friendly, introducing themselves to me and very curious to know who I was.  After ringing the doorbell, Zozan came to the door and welcomed me in while at the same time trying to keep the two smaller children in the house.  As I was taking off my shoes in the doorway, Faris pulled up in the driveway. 

As I walked into their home, the smaller children were running down the halls, through the living room and into the kitchen while the older children were dashing in and out of their rooms, eventually sitting comfortably to watch television.  And although there was a lot going on, everything seemed to be in order.  As Zozan showed led me to the living room, I was struck by how cozy, warm and lived in their house felt.  It was clear that the family took great pride in their home by the way it was carefully arranged and nicely decorated. 

After introducing myself to the family, Faris, Zozan and I sat down and began to talk.  I was eager to ask to them about their life before their partnership with Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity and after.  They started by telling me that they have been living in the area since 1996 and had moved to the town of Moorhead for Faris’s current job.  I asked them if they liked living in Fargo-Moorhead and they said that they really like the nice and friendly people in this area.  I then asked them what their living conditions were like in their previous home.  They both began telling me that while they liked the area they were previously living in, their neighbors would call the police on them because their children were making noise while playing outside.  And there were other concerns; their old home was very difficult to keep warm in the winter and cool in the summer, which raised their utility costs.  There were also safety concerns pertaining to the structure of their old home.
I asked them how they liked life in their new home they looked at each other and smiled; they loved it.  Their children feel safe in their home, play outside as they please, and even walk to school.  Now life is better.  

Overcoming Obstacles and Finding a Dream
Thrivent Builds with Habitat and Completes LAHFFH 15th Build in 15 Years

by Carrie Michaelson, Family Selection Committee

Fowzia and her husband, Abubakar, (Abu), both arrived in the U.S. as refugees of war in 1997. They were not married at the time, nor did they know each other. Fowzia originally settled in Washington, DC with her mother and father. Abu relocated directly to Fargo. Their relationship began over the telephone while Fowzia was living in DC and on December 21, 1997, Fowzia made the decision to come to Fargo to get to know Abu better before making the decision to become his wife. They were married in Sept. 1998.

Ironically, both Fowzia and Abu were born and raised in Somalia and they each spent part of their teenage years in the Mombasa refugee camp.

Overcoming war and six years at the UN refugee camp, the two seperately made their way to America. Since arriving here, they have bravely faced more struggles and perservered because of their life experiences.

After arriving in America, and not long after the birth of their first child, Fowzia nearly lost her life in an automobile accident. While visiting her parents in DC, she and a friend were traveling to a college campus in Alexandria, Virginia. A driver drove his car off of a tall, elevated road, hitting Fowzia and her friend in their car. Fowzia suffered multiple injuries, including a severely broken leg and was hospitalized for a peroid of one month. The doctors said it was a miracle that she was not killed. The accident has left Fowzia with permanent damage to her leg and she is unable to stand for long periods of time. Although she can walk, she will never have a career in the field that is her first love, nursing.

Abu works a full-time job and attends NDSU part time. He plans on earning a degree in Business Administration and currently has completed 30 college credits. Fowzia desires to re-enter college and obtain a degree, possible in Political Science. Presently, she is an independent contractor working for West Central Initiative and she is on a diversity committee at Meritcare Health Systems.

Fowzia and Abu have five lovely children, including twins. This author has the utmost respect and admiration for the family, and has no doubt that they are, and will continue to be, a very positive influence and asset to the FM community and all peoples. They have worked very hard to not only survive, but to make a positive difference in the world. May God who is good and all-loving use us to give back to them, in love, what they have so freely given themselves.