Ruth lives with her son, Diego Alejandro (3), in their new Habitat home in Barrio el Triunfo, San Benito, Petén. Ruth works in a law firm, while Diego stays with his grandparents during the day.

Before partnering with Habitat Guatemala, Ruth used to live with her parents. “I was living with my parents, until I decided to build my own home. My family is big and very united, but, there are times where you need your own space,” she explains.

Ruth learned about Habitat programs through a coworker, who explained the process to her. After doing some research, she decided it was time to invest in a space of their own. “My prime motivation was to have a home for my son,” Ruth mentions.

When asked how she feels with their new home, Ruth answers, “I feel very happy. Every time I enter my home! To see that every effort that you make has its rewards is very comforting. I decided to move in on March 8^th (International Women’s Day) because I wanted it to be a special and important day.”

Both Ruth and Diego enjoy playing and painting.  Laughing she shares, “Both of us need patience. We start playing and we end up fighting. I am always giving him tools to develop his brain and to be happy.”

In the future she is planning to add tiles to the floor and paint the house. “I have a small garden in the back. I want to plant lots of fruit trees for shade. I also want to add a hammock,” says Ruth.

When asked about her time with the volunteers Ruth recalls, “It was a very fun week. They helped us a lot with the construction of the house.  It was an unforgettable experience, to know that people from abroad come to help you build your house. I will never forget them because they came to help us build something that will last for the rest of our lives.”

“Thank you all for giving your time and effort to support us. You not only helped us on a material level, but on a personal level, too. You will always be in our hearts. Thank you!” – Ruth López.

Angélica, who is a 22 years old girl, is living in her new Habitat home in Santa Elena, Petén.  She has been working in a bank for over three years now.

Before partnering with Habitat Guatemala, Angélica used to live with her parents. After learning about Habitat’s programs, she decided it was time to build her own home and make her dream a reality.  “I now know the value of things. When you have your own stuff, you add more value to it. I am the youngest daughter and even though it was a lil bit hard, I wanted to gain independence,” says Angélica.

When asked how she feels with her new home, Angélica smiles and responds, ”I feel a great satisfaction to be able to achieve this at a young age.”  She is planning to put a fence around the house and add a porch in the front in the future.

What Angélica enjoys most about being at her home is the ability to rest and listen to music. “My sister gifted me an stereo, so I enjoy listening to music,” she says.

She finishes by sharing a message to the volunteers, “It was a beautiful experience to share with all of the volunteers. Thank you for your support, all your effort is evident with these walls. May God bless you all.”

Enma lives by herself in her new Habitat home in Valle de las Flores Habitat Housing Community in Escuintla.

She is one of the 41 families who received a fully subsidized Habitat home through the Fuego Volcano Disaster Response project. The families who have benefited from the project are from the communities of San Miguel los Lotes, Los Barrios and El Rodeo. The Fuego Volcano eruption affected over 1.7 million Guatemalans, leaving many dead and missing, and thousands seeking refuge in temporary shelters.

Following the tragedy, where she lost her husband, five daughters and two grandsons, she lived with her two remaining daughters who are both married. After a few months, she learned about Habitat’s program through her sister, and after receiving the visit from Habitat Staff she started to build a home for a new start.

When asked about how she feels with her new home, Enma says, ”I feel very happy! I want to thank God and the donors. Receiving a house is a big deal, I did not have a house of my own before.”

She shares that she cannot pick her favorite part of the house because she enjoys everything. Her sister lives just a few houses away, so they spend a lot of time together.

Enma has many memories of the construction process, and the volunteers and donors that helped them; “We all came together to build and help each other. W all carried blocks and materials,” she says.

To all of the donors and volunteers she says, “On behalf of everyone living in this housing community, thank you. Thank you for your support and for sharing your kindness with us.”

Ana lives with her niece, Stephany (6) in their new Habitat home in Valle de las Flores Habitat Housing Community in Escuintla. Ana works as a fruit seller in different markets around Escuintla and Chimaltenango, while Stephany goes to school.

She is one of the 41 families who received a fully subsidized Habitat home through the Fuego Volcano Disaster Response project. The families who have benefited from the project are from the communities of San Miguel Los Lotes, Los Barrios and El Rodeo. The Fuego Volcano eruption affected over 1.7 million Guatemalans, leaving many dead and missing, and thousands seeking refuge in temporary shelters.

Following the tragedy, Ana and Stephany lived in several shelters until they found out about the program and received a visit from Habitat Staff. After a few months they started to build a new home for themselves.

 

Now, they are starting a new life in their new home. When asked about how she feels, Ana says, ”I feel very happy and content, at peace.” In the future, she is planning to add a big garden and a fence around to have more privacy.

Ana shares that she enjoys the weather the most; “it isn’t hot inside, rather its cool and enjoyable.”

She has many memories of the construction process, and the volunteers and donors that helped them. “It was a fun experience, we built together and carried all of the materials,” says Ana.

Ana finishes with a message to all of the donors and volunteers, “Thank you all for your support. I might not be able to repay you, but God will.”