The first family home was a small rented house in the district of Sao Joao Batista, Belo Horizonte. By the end of the first year there were 12 children and the house had become too small. The family moved to a bigger house, but by the end of the second year there were 22 children. History had repeated itself and as the family grew so did the need to move. An opportunity arose for Celida when a friend offered a building in the initial stage of construction as a donation. Celida sold a piece of land as part payment which is how the family came to own their present house. People who knew about the family helped with gifts of cement, sand, tiles, doors and windows and eventually the building was finished.