Smokeless Stove: María Mutzutz

María lives with her husband Raymundo and their seven children, José (19), María (17), María Mercedes (15), Dany (12), María Guadalupe (11), Brian (5) and Marvin (2) in a small community in Chimaltenango. While María is a homemaker, Raymundo works in the fields and the older kids go to school.

Before receiving her smokeless stove, María used to cook over an open flame that caused her several respiratory diseases and eye irritation. “The smoke was very dense and it made me suffer a lot,” she says.

María’s reality has change a lot since her stove was built; “I feel happy with it!! It is working great and no more smoke.  It is big, I can prepare my tortillas and the rest of the meals at the same time, she continues; “it also saves a lot of wood, I do not need to buy a lot now.”

When asked about the day of construction, María says: “We had a good day! They had lunch here with us,” she continues; “May God bless all the volunteers that keep on helping us, I am very grateful for my stove.”