Young tradie buys his mum a house on Mother’s Day, seven years after arriving in Australia as a refugee: here’s how he got ahead and the secret to his success
- Peri Ndakize, 20, had two jobs
- He saved $50,000 in just 18 months
- His family moved from Congo in 2016
A hard-working young Aussie has surprised his single mother with a home for Mother’s Day after arriving in Australia as a refugee seven years ago.
After leaving high school, 20-year-old Peri Ndakize promised his mother that he would save enough money to buy her a house of her own.
He started working two jobs, sometimes up to 13 hours a day, so he could repay her for making the ultimate sacrifice for her family.
Peri Ndakize, 20, promised his mother Esperance that he would save enough money to buy her a home of her own (the couple is pictured outside the home on the NSW-Victorian border)
In 2016, Esperance Ndakize left Congo, in central Africa, with Peri and his brothers in search of a better life in Australia.
The family spent time in North Queensland’s Townsville before settling in Wodonga, a town on the NSW-Victorian border, where they have been renting for seven years.
Mr Ndakize said it was difficult for his mother to start a new life in Australia and he had always dreamed of buying her a house.
“It would have been quite a challenge to raise three boys on her own, so I wanted to step up and be the man of the house,” he told The Project.
“When I finished school, I said I’d make it a goal to buy her a house before pursuing my own goals.”
Mr Ndakize said it was difficult for his mother to start a new life in Australia and he has always dreamed of buying her a home of her own.
He said it was sometimes very tiring to have a full-time job from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and then do moving jobs on the side.
“I kept remembering why I started,” he said. “I just wanted to make her happy.”
Mr. Ndakize was able to save $50,000 in just 18 months. On Mother’s Day, he unveiled the one-story brick house to his mother.
Ms Ndakize said her hardworking son had made her “so proud and happy”.