Students build, fund home for refugees

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Living in Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan in September 2001, Ahmad Baegzad saw things no child -- no person -- should have to see.

"But it's just life there I guess," Baegzad said.

His father was murdered.

"He was in a car, they thought he was someone else, so they blew up the car," the now 18-year-old said in an interview.

He and his family members fled to Pakistan and Catholic Social Services helped bring them to the United States. With no American relatives, the agency settled the family in Grand Rapids, a place with a culture and language completely unknown to them.

"That was scary," said Hafiza Baegzad, Ahmad's mother. "But after a while, that was OK. Not bad."

Catholic Social Services kept on helping. The agency connected the family with Habitat for Humanity.

Now, seven and a half years after leaving Mazar-e Sharif, the Baegzads have a home of their own. It's a unique project not just because of the beneficiaries but because of the people -- and kids -- who made it happen.

"We wanted to raise all the funds necessary to build a house and put in all of the labor as a school and build the actual house," said Chrissy Wildt, who just graduated from Forest Hills Northern High. Habitat approached FHN last year and the student government -- Wildt was the senior class trustee -- signed on.

Students raised $72,000, more than half of it through fundraisers such as dances, dinners and babysitting services. They brought in another $30,000 through direct donations by families and businesses.

And the students spent 3,200 hours in total, working on the house alongside Habitat supervisors, volunteers and the Baegzads, putting in their own time.

Hafiza Baegzad put in 300 hours on the home.

"It was really touching to know personally who we were putting in this house and made it all the more worthwhile," said Brittany Worthington, another recent graduate from Forest Hills Northern.

Worthington was the student government president.

To those who helped give him, his mother and three sisters a home, Ahmad Baegzad says he is very grateful.

"[It's] like a new start," he said. "It feels good."