Day 4: Roof Supports and Community Visits

We started the morning as usual, gathered around the table at breakfast before heading back to the build site for what would be our single, focused task: assembling the rebar supports for the roof.

Using the thick wires we had cut and shaped yesterday, our team lined up and began carefully setting them along two rebars, measuring each placement before tying them together with thin wiring. It was detailed, steady work that required patience and precision. Once one side was complete, we flipped the structure over and tied the rebars securely on the other side to hold everything in place. We repeated this process until we had four sturdy rebar beams ready to provide strength and stability for the roof to come. We worked for several hours, finding a rhythm together as the morning stretched into afternoon.

Once the rebar structures were assembled, we set our tools aside and shared lunch before spending some time playing with the neighborhood kids. Our team brought a soccer ball as a gift, and within moments the dirt yard in front of the build site was filled with movement and laughter. The children kicked the ball back and forth, their energy and excitement filling the space.

In the afternoon, we wrapped up early since the next batch of roofing materials hadn’t yet arrived, giving us the chance to explore more of the community we’ve been building alongside. Our first stop was a recently completed Habitat home, freshly painted and ready for a family to move in once the air clears. Stepping inside offered a glimpse of the transformation our current site will soon achieve — a safe, dignified home with its own latrine, a world apart from what many families here have known.

Next, we visited Naibor Primary School, where Habitat has also partnered to improve conditions for the 307 students who attend. Though the school is on break, we could still sense the vibrancy of the place — bright classrooms and new latrines standing as quiet evidence of progress and care.

It was a meaningful way to end the day, connecting the dots between the house we’re helping to build and the broader impact Habitat’s work has in this community. I can hardly believe tomorrow is our final day on the site. The week has gone by in a blur of hard work, laughter, and shared purpose — and as the goodbye ceremony approaches, I’m holding on to every moment.