Peace of Mind

Maung and Cha Loh learned about Habitat Omaha’s Homeownership Program through their community and friends. What compelled them to apply was the advantages of homeownership and the fact that Habitat Omaha would be with them through the entire process. “We chose Habitat because we strongly believe Habitat is the most helpful resource for life in the U.S.,” they said. “Habitat educates and enlarges our perspective on how to be the best homeowners.”

Maung sees homeownership as a way to provide freedom and peace of mind for himself, his wife and their three children. Cha Loh and Maung both come from villages in Burma, but they were compelled to flee the country due to political conflict. Maung ran away and became a refugee at just 21 years of age. When he crossed the Thai-Burma border, he experienced the confinement and restriction of life in a refugee camp. “I never saw myself as fully human living in the camp,” he said.

Cha Loh likened camp life to feeling as if she “was an animal in the zoo.” It took 13 years until the couple and their first two children were granted the opportunity of resettlement in the U.S. “I am so grateful to be in the U.S. and see myself as human now,” Maung shared.

Maung, Cha Loh and their three children, Gay O Mu Loe (10), Paw Gay O Mu Soe (6) and Kaw Gay (3), love to take family walks together, often ending up in a park. They also spend a lot of time reading as a family and make it a priority to visit the zoo and local museums at least once a year. They are looking forward to the time when they can gather for reading, meals, and the occasional movie night in their own home.