Fleeing the civil war of his native Sudan in search of security for his family, Duop Teny came to the United States in 1992. Within a year he was able to bring his wife Mary and her younger sister.
Working hard to establish themselves in their new country Duop and Mary also began a family which now includes daughters Goamar, Nyashan and son Teny.
Unfortunately, their income levels made home ownership a mere dream for Duop and Mary until they were accepted into the Greater Des Moines Habitat program.
For the past three years, Duop has worked for Wells Fargo, making that company’s partial sponsorship of the home particularly important to him. Mary works full time at Mosaic and part time at Lutheran Services of Iowa, and has recently become a Certified Nursing Assistant.
The family of six, including Mary’s younger sister, resided in a three bedroom apartment until recently when they purchased their new home at 2020 Meek Avenue. Their new home is a four bedroom ranch with a partially finished basement. They are excited that the partnership with Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity, Wells Fargo, ING, and GuideOne has given them the opportunity to life themselves up to homeownership and a brighter future for their children.
“It’s my first time to own a house and it is very special to me,” remarked Mary. On September 24th the Teny family became teh7th Greater Des Moines Habitat family to dedicate their home this year.