Pub. 7 2017 Issue 3

20 www.azbankers.org A THANASE KABAYIZA AND HIS WIFE AGNES MUKANDAYISENG WELCOME VISITORS TO THEIR HOME WITH HUGE SMILES AND EVEN BIGGER HUGS, CLEARLY DELIGHTED TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PUT FACES TO THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE PLAYED A PART IN HELPING THEM PUT A DIFFICULT PAST BEHIND THEM. “Our country, Rwanda, was at war, and so many people died. Around 6 million people left. I walked away, 5,000 kilometers, through the Congo to the Central African Republic,” Athanase explains. “It was very difficult, there was nothing to eat, nothing to drink, and behind us were people with guns, wanting to kill us.” Though Athanase and Agnes fled the 1994 genocide in their native Rwanda separately, both took refuge in the Central African Re - public, where they met, married, and brought their first child, a boy named Muhoza, into the world, far from their friends and families. In 2012, a brutal civil war in the Central African Republic drove the family to seek permanent resettlement in the United States. “I was born into a good family, a rich family,” Agnes says. But when the conflict began in Rwanda, she was separated from her mother, father, and nine siblings. “We lost everything, too.” NowAgnes is looking forward to soon being reunited by the Red Cross with her mother and a sister, family members she hasn’t seen in more than 20 years. “One of my refugee friends told me about Primavera. I explained my situation to them and they said we are welcome!” - Athanase Kabayiza When they arrived in the United States as refugees, the resettlement agency that re - ceived them housed them temporarily. “After six months, you have to find a way to rent a house, a home to live in,” Athanase says. “One of my refugee friends told me about Primavera. I explained my situation to them and they said we are welcome!” The Primavera Foundation of Tucson pro - vides pathways out of poverty through safe, affordable housing, workforce development, and neighborhood revitalization. The family moved into Primavera’s transitional rental housing, and immediately started working with Lupita Rodriguez, Homeownership Program Coordinator, to establish a credit history, the first step toward the goal of homeownership. Athanase and Agnes enthusiastically partic - ipated in Primavera’s homebuyer education and asset-building programs, learning how to budget and save. Starting from zero, the couple saved $5,000 in a year and a half. “I knew right off the bat that they were on top of it,” Lupita says. Through member Western Alliance Bank, the Bank’s WISH first-time homebuyer program matched $3 for every $1 saved by the family. Primavera Director of Homeownership, Glo - ria Vasquez, notes the importance of being able to use WISH grants with other funding sources. In this case, Primavera was able to combine the $15,000 WISH grant with funds available from the Neighborhood LIFT pro - gram, enabling the couple to make a $35,000 downpayment on a 3-bedroom home. Because of the large downpayment they were able to make, the family’s monthly mortgage payments are manageable on one salary. Athanase works full-time as a Patient Care Technician and Certified Nursing Assistant The Kabayiza family found a safe haven in Tucson Member Western Alliance Bank Sponsor The Primavera Foundation Awards $15,000 WISH Grant Welcomed in Tucson