ROANOKE, Va. – A Roanoke mother and her eight children are one step closer to owning their first home, after volunteers, Habitat for Humanity staff, and WSLS employees held a wall-raising ceremony at what will become the family’s permanent residence. The build marks WSLS’s 12th consecutive Home for Good project with Habitat for Humanity of the Roanoke Valley.
Divine Hakizimana moved to Roanoke in 2006, choosing the city to be closer to family already living there. She now raises eight children — six daughters and two sons, ranging in age from 1 to 19 — and has worked as a factory worker while searching for a place to finally call home.
“Applying to become a Habitat homebuyer is not just a housing opportunity for my family — it’s the chance for me to fulfill a lifelong dream,” Hakizimana said in a written statement. “Over the years, my family and I have moved from place to place, perpetually unsettled. I want my children to have a space where they can grow, build memories, and truly settle down.”
Her son, Randi Ndayishimiye, described what the moment means for his mother.
“For her, it’s really important because she never owned a house, and where she comes from, when she left Africa, was war-torn at the time, so this is very important for her to have stability, something she lacked,” he said. “She’s really happy about it.”
The family currently rents a four-bedroom home, but with eight children, space is tight — up to four siblings share a single bedroom. When they learned they had been selected for the program, the reaction was immediate. Daughter Oderro Shemarimana said it was hard to put into words.
“When we found out, we were overjoyed,” she said. “My siblings, the younger ones, they can experience living in a home and feel much safer. My mom did the best that she could — she made sure that we were happy, loved, and safe.”
She says her siblings and her already have plans for their new spaces. Sibomana said a friend who received a Habitat home years ago left an impression on her.
“I was a little envious of her when she had her own space and her own room,” she said. “So now that I’ve heard, ‘Oh yeah, I’m getting my own room,’ all I can think about is all the stuff I’m going to put in it. It would be nice to have my own space for a change.”
Her sister, Aliene Sibomana, says she is also looking forward to one specific upgrade.
“When they mentioned, ‘Oh, we’re gonna add a dishwasher,’ I was in so much joy,” she said. “I wash the dishes every night, especially Thanksgiving — so many dishes. So when they said that, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m finally free.’”
The family has been watching the home take shape in real time when they often drive by.
“My mom, every time she’d drive by, she was like, ‘Oh my gosh, they added this, they added that.’”
Volunteers also wrote personal messages on the wooden framing, something Shemarimana said they will carry with them.
“It’s going to be put into the walls, and every time we walk by it, I’m going to remember all those sweet messages — knowing that there are people rooting for us and that we were supported.”
For Hakizimana, the home is about far more than square footage.
“Owning my home will allow me to leave my children something that lasts,” she said. “It will be a legacy they can hold on to. Our Habitat house will be the home my family can return to without hesitation, because they know it’s where they belong.”
David Tate, director of development at Habitat for Humanity of the Roanoke Valley, said the Home for Good program is designed to do more than build houses — it builds community. Most families in the program are first-generation Americans who arrive without a local support system. Habitat brings them together during the build process so they can form connections alongside their new neighbors. Families also go through a rigorous vetting process, completing classroom lessons and demonstrating financial responsibility, with the goal of sustaining homeownership and building generational wealth.
“These folks can’t come in and actually purchase the home 100%,” Tate said. “They need the volunteers, they need the sponsors, they need Habitat to offer them that hand up in life. Without community, you don’t have family. Without family, you don’t have community. It kind of goes together.”
The build comes as Habitat for Humanity of the Roanoke Valley celebrates its 40th anniversary. By the end of this year, the organization expects to have built 304 homes in the valley. WSLS’s 12-year partnership is the second-longest annual commitment by a community partner, behind Roanoke College’s 21-year relationship with the organization.
Hakizimana closed with gratitude for everyone involved.
“Many thanks to all the volunteers and donors who are working to make our dream of a new life and home possible,” she said. “Our Habitat home will be a blessing — one that offers not just shelter but a chance to build a better life for generations to come.”
“I really thought we weren’t gonna get to this point. It would be like a good feeling to welcome in a home — it just feels very good. So I’m very thankful, said Sibomana.
With the Hakizimana family’s home now the 12th built through the WSLS Home for Good initiative, the program continues a tradition of community-driven projects focused on stability, opportunity, and long-term impact for local families. The effort would not be possible without the sponsors and volunteers who show up — and whose names are now written into the very walls of the homes they help build.
Habitat for Humanity expects the home to be finished and ready for the family to move in in October or November of this year.