Patience is central to everything Mohammad and Zuhra have experienced on their journey to homeownership. Their most recent wait was for the arrival of their third child, who arrived happy and healthy in the spring of 2026. Now, the waiting for their new home to be complete will be the final test of patience before years of hard work and endurance are rewarded with ownership of their very own home.
Mohammad learned of the Habitat homeownership program more than two years ago, but at the time the family didn’t fulfill the eligibility criteria for the program. So, after years of hard work, they were finally eligible and completed their application, hoping to be approved. Many months later, they got the phone call and the opportunity that they had been working so hard for had finally come true – they were going to be Habitat homeowners.
“I just stopped working, I was so happy” remembers Mohammad. “I called my wife and we were happy together. We just enjoyed it and it was such a nice moment we will never forget.”
The family immigrated to Canada in 2023. Drawing on his construction background and previous experience, Mohammad decided to pursue a career in the skilled trades and began working with a plumbing company. Since then, he has completed his plumbing trade schooling and continues to progress through his apprenticeship, which he expects to complete in 2027. It is a career he is proud of and looks forward to continuing to grow in.
In Afghanistan, Zuhra earned a degree in Chemical Engineering. Although she did not have the opportunity to work in that field, she hopes to pursue a professional career once the children are older, either by building on her engineering education or exploring a new path in dentistry as a dental assistant or hygienist. With the stability of Habitat homeownership ahead, she can begin planning for possibilities that once felt out of reach.
Other goals the family can now begin planning and saving for include future education for both parents and their children, paying down their mortgage, building a savings account so Mohammad doesn’t need to work his second job as often—or at all.
“Now we have the peace of mind to think about our future goals, do some planning for education. We will have more freedom when we are not paying rent and are instead paying a mortgage.”
The family is currently living in a rental that costs nearly 50% of the family’s income. They look forward to paying an affordable mortgage and investing in their own future instead of paying rent, giving them the opportunity to build financial security for their family. Their children are young enough that they aren’t aware of the moves or what a Habitat home means quite yet, but this is another thing that Mohammad and Zuhra can’t wait to tell them about: their home, their community, their friends, and their space are all from the parent’s patience and, most importantly, hard work.
They live near enough to their future home that Mohammad regularly makes trips out to see the progress of the construction – waiting patiently for the home to be complete and the family to take possession.
