A mother and father lived with their five children (aged 16, 15, 13, 12 and 2) in two rooms in an ancient stone, damp house.  Access to the rooms was via some wooden planks. Rarely had we seen a family live in such poor and desolate circumstances.  The father is an unskilled worker without a steady job; he just worked occasionally for neighbours. The mother almost died when the youngest child was born but she manages to look after the family, some sheep and a small garden.

Some time ago, a local priest and a Franciscan nun decided to help this family and started collecting donations and material for them. The entire village helped and started to build a new house for the family adjacent to the present one. They managed to build the outer shell of the house but the donations ceased.

We were asked to help complete the house and agreed to complete the first floor so that the family could move in as soon as possible.  It cost €13,000 which we shared with a local charity (founded by Fr Slavko Barbaric, RIP).

The new house consists of a garage on the ground floor which the father uses as a car repair shop.  The first floor consists of two bedrooms, a living room with kitchen and a bathroom; the upper floor has two more bedrooms.

The family had to walk across wooden planks to enter their home.  The new house is beside the old one.

The family love their new home which has a new wood-burning stove and comfortable furniture.

They are very grateful to our donors who enabled this transformation in their lives.  Thank you all!