The Nilza Varela Foundation, working for a fairer Cape Verde, rehabilitates and builds houses, restoring dignity to people on the islands of Sal, Fogo and Brava.

The current plan, whose current investment is in the region of 70,000 US dollars for this triple and simultaneous building phase, reflects the dynamism and commitment of the Nilza Varela Foundation to extend its hand of solidarity to different geographical points of the country, combating regional asymmetries. However, it is on the island of Sal that one of the most profound, detailed and transformative projects of this humanitarian journey is located. There, a family made up of a single mother and her two young children are preparing to leave behind a harsh and painful reality of extreme deprivation. Until now, the family had been living in a makeshift shack, totally devoid of any living conditions, without access to a bathroom and without electricity or basic sanitation.

This scenario of extreme vulnerability on the island of Sal is about to be replaced by an entirely new home, built from the ground up with highly durable materials and planned to offer maximum comfort and safety. According to the details shared by António Varela, the new home will be handed over to the family with a complete internal configuration, comprising two large bedrooms, a cozy living room, a modern and sanitary bathroom, and a fully functional kitchen. Rather than erecting the concrete walls, the foundation has taken on the task of fully furnishing the property, ensuring that the transition takes place with as much dignity and comfort as possible, without any financial burden for the beneficiaries.

The attention to detail and care with which the project has been designed is visible in the decorative and technological details introduced into the home. The new home will be equipped with television sets and laptops for the family's two children, ensuring digital access and promoting school success and the inclusion of young people in a highly technological age. António Varela revealed, with visible emotion, that even family photographs and decorative pictures have been carefully placed on the walls, transforming the new building into a real home, full of affection and identity, able to erase the memories of times of severe deprivation.

The overall financial investment designed specifically for this model intervention on the island of Sal is expected to be around 55,000 US dollars when all the work is fully completed, a target formally scheduled for August 2026. Aware that assistance alone does not break the intergenerational cycle of poverty, the leadership of the Nilza Varela Foundation decided to go further and structure an economic sustainability strategy for the household. In parallel with handing over the house, the institution is providing financial and logistical support to the mother in setting up and structuring her own business. This initiative aims to provide the mother with financial autonomy and a stable source of income in the long term, guaranteeing a more prosperous, secure and independent future for her two children.

From the point of view of the organization's leader, the balance of eleven houses built and offered at no cost to the beneficiaries should not be quantified only in monetary or patrimonial terms. The real value lies in the restoration of dignity, the rescue of citizenship and the consolidation of a bridge of solidarity that unites the diaspora with the country's most pressing needs. António Varela vents that it's not about the money involved, but about fulfilling a moral and civic duty to share with those who, due to life's circumstances, had already lost hope of seeing and living in a Cape Verde that is truly inclusive and for all.

With the completion of these three houses scheduled for next August, the Nilza Varela Foundation is reaffirming its role as one of the most dynamic and impactful non-governmental institutions on the Cape Verdean community development scene. The message sent to BravaNews closes with a strong call for unity and collective responsibility, reminding us that the sustainable progress of the archipelago depends on the active involvement of everyone, especially those who, even when living abroad, refuse to forget their origins and continue to work hard to ensure that social justice and housing equity go from a utopia to a tangible reality on the islands.

MS