Single Mother Receives Keys to Fully Furnished Home

A single mother of two, Heidi Rivas, received the keys to a brand new, fully furnished, home today in Belize City. The house was constructed and furnished through a partnership with God Cares Outreach and the Young Black Leaders Alliance from the United States. It comes as a gift to Rivas and her two sons, who have been sharing space with her mother. She is also being equipped with the necessary tools to start her own business to financially empower her family. News Five’s Paul Lopez reports.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Earlier today, Belize City resident Heidi Rivas received the keys to her brand new fully furnished home on Antelope Street extension. God Cares Outreach in Belize collaborated with the Young Black Leaders Alliance from the United States to bring this project to life.

 

Derrick Pitts, Founder, God Cares Outreach

“As an organization, one of our desires is to see how we can help single mothers in our community. In every community that we work in we work with the local church, and we have a strategy which is to reach, connect, impact.”

 

 

 

 

Derrick Pitts, the Founder of God Cares Outreach, explained that Rivas is very involved in the local church within her community. He told us that she has been volunteering her time over the last six years to feed children in impoverished communities. Rivas did not own a house and was living with her mom, until today.

 

 

 

 

Derrick Pitts

“Miss Heidi today believes that she is just receiving a house, but little does she know that it is a fully furnished house. Everything is in there. So, it is a turnkey, I can sleep in my bed kind of thing. We purchased this property, and our plan is to put at least two or three of the houses on this property. And to build the house with furnishing and everything is like sixty thousand dollars.”

 

 

 

 

The amazement on Heidi Rivas’s face was priceless when she opened the door to her new home and found that that it was fully furnished. She now has a living room area, a kitchen, an indoor bathroom and two bedrooms. The master bedroom is hers. It has been equipped with a sewing machine that she will use to generate income to pay her utility bills. Her two sons now have their own room with a bunk bed.

 

 

 

 

Heidi Rivas, New Homeowner

“Me and my family will never be the same because of you guys love and continues support. Home is a place blessed and where you and your family can be secure and have all you need, share your sadness and happiness, where you can help each other as a family. And, I will always remember the kindness and support that made this opportunity possible.”

 

 

 

We also heard from a couple of the student ambassadors from the Young Black Leaders Alliance that have been at the site working to build and furnish Rivas’ new home.

 

Eryn Glover, Student Ambassador, Y.L.B.A.

“The Young Black Leadership Alliance is basically an organization in the U.S. that targets highschoolers into college students and building them as leaders, helping us to get scholarships to university, helping us to become service leaders like today, helping us to help others. So we actually had the responsibility as leaders to fundraise. It is actually a really good skill they teach us, how to fundraise and how to ask people in the community around us, hey would you mind helping us to help others. So we went through a fundraising process for a few months, hit our goals, then we were able to come out here and serve.”

 

 

Jevarrie Carlton, Student College Ambassador, Y.B.L.A.

“This is my second time serving here with the Young Black Leadership Alliance. The first time was a little bit different for me. That was the first time I actually left my home country to serve in another country. This time was more personal to me because of where I come from and how fortunate I would have been to receive something similar and if not something great. So just being here at this moment and being able to serve others at this point in my life is just amazing and I would not trade this experience for anything.”

 

 

This is the second project that God Cares Outreach and the Young Black Leaders Alliance have collaborated to complete.

 

Derrick Pitts

“It is also adding dignity but understanding the work, you got to get some skin in the game. So, Ms. Heidi had to put in some sweat. So, she and the boys came and worked on the house, preparing the property. So, she is responsible for her own utilities. Even with that we are providing a business package so that she can make money. She loves to sew so we are teaching her. We got a brand-new sewing machine so that she can work around the church and that kind of stuff.”

 

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.