Juana Mejía – Thrivent Builds – Freb Ebbesen

Juana lives in Chimaltenango, with her husband, Ángel, and their daughter Marcela. Thanks to the support of Thrivent Builds, her family received a Habitat smokeless stove so that she can cook in a healthier environment.

Before partnering with Habitat Guatemala to receive her smokeless stove, Juana used to cook over an open flame for over twenty years. “By cooking over the open flame, the smoke made me feel sick, caused eye irritation and I burned myself several times,” she says.

When asked how she feels with her new smokeless stove, Juana responds, “ I feel happy, I do not burn myself anymore, it gives us enough space to cook all our meals,” she continues, “It saves wood too and the smoke goes directly outside our kitchen.”

Regarding their time spent with the volunteers, Juana shares, “It was a fun day! They built our stove really fast,” she continues, “Thank you for your support, receive our greetings! May God bless you all.”