In September 2017, a massive earthquake devastated much of Mexico. With poor infrastructure, corruption, and few fighting on their behalf, many in the community had lost hope of regaining a sense of normalcy. Now, things are changing. Families who have been living under tarps will soon receive safe, stable homes. Eight-year-old Vanessa is one member of the community who’s been dreaming about her home for months. She and her family participated in a workshop where they got to offer input on the design of the community, and soon they’ll be moving into the home they helped create.

On a recent vision trip to Ahuachapán, El Salvador, we met a young artist named Elvin whose new home means more to him than most. He had a serious medical condition, life-threatening if he didn’t travel the long distance to a hospital every day to receive dialysis. When building Elvin’s new home, our local partners built an additional space specifically designed for his care. Recently, Elvin began to create art again and is working with New Story on community beautification projects in El Salvador.

Patricia is a single mom living in one of our El Salvador communities. Before receiving a home, she lived on roughly $5 income a day, supporting herself and her children in a home with dirt floors and scrap metal walls. During the construction of her new community, she opened up a small tienda selling food to the construction workers from her home. Her business quickly grew to thriving, and she now makes roughly $60 a day, keeping $20 in profit as her own income. Soon, she plans to open a restaurant from the large front window of her new home.

With a stable home providing their family with more space and time, the Martinez Contreras family quickly made the most of their new belongings by starting a bakery. As the first family-run business to come out of Ahuachapán 2, they have shown us the multiplying factor of stability by uniting their entire community through their hard work. Last time we visited, we were able to taste the fruits of their labor and we can promise you— home has truly never tasted so good.