Thein Oo and his wife Lweh Eh Paw are from Burma, and they met in a refugee camp in Thailand. After moving to the United States, Thein Oo began working at UNC as a housekeeper and was recently promoted to team leader.

The couple has a one-year-old, Chit Su Oo, and a five-year-old, Chit Ku Oo. The four of them live in a townhouse in Carrboro, but in the five years since they’ve moved to the United States, rent has risen drastically. The same unit costs $300 dollars more now than it did in 2011. They’ve always dreamed of owning a single-family home, but before Habitat, they didn’t have any affordable options.

Thein Oo and Lweh Eh Paw are excited to move into downtown Chapel Hill’s Northside neighborhood where he can easily get to work and the children will grow up around other children in a thriving community. They have friends who live in the neighborhood, and hope their children will one day attend the University of North Carolina!