Mangloris lives with her husband Usbaldo, and their five children, Mariela (15), Osbin (13), Yohanely (10) Ilsa (7) and Abraham (4) in the community of El Canaque, San Marcos, at the skirts of Volcano Tajamulco. Usbaldo works in agriculture, while Mangloris takes care of the children. Mangloris is very involved in the communal garden and is on the local Health Committee.

It is not an easy road to get to Canaque, but as soon as you enter it, you can notice the warmth of the people and the shy smiles of the children watching you.

Mangloris is part of Habitat Guatemala’s Family Gardens Project that started in 2014. Six years later, she proudly walks us through the community garden, which is filled with a variety of different vegetables. Mangloris shares how their lives have changed and their nutrition has improved.

“Since we started our family my husband and I have enjoyed taking care of our own garden. Before the project we harvested a small piece of land. When this project started, we joined in! Now, our garden has improved tremendously,” says Mangloris.

“Through the support of the organizations and our own means, we have learned and improved as a family and team.  We have harvested big crops of carrots, onions and trees to sell abroad.” Mangloris continues, “We started working on our own, and bought news seeds and other items to keep on growing and growing. The main goal of the project was to teach us how to work on our own, and now we are ready.”

By changing their eating habits and diversifying their diets, Mangloris explains that their quality of life has improved. “We learned to use every part of the vegetables that we grow by cooking them in different recipes for our children. We also use the seeds from the vegetables for future harvests.” She continues, “It has been a great experience, because we have learned, grown and worked together! It has not been an easy road. But we continue moving forward. My dream is that one day, we will be selling all of our products in different towns.”

When asked about her personal experience with the volunteer teams that were in the community, Mangloris explains, “Every time that we go out and see our gardens, we remember all of the volunteers.  We are moving forward and will continue to keep working with our gardens.”

“My dream is to keep working as a team. We need to work together as a community to continue improving. And I am hoping to keep working with Habitat Guatemala and America Solidaria too. I want to keep on dreaming and dreaming big! I have always enjoyed working with communities, motivating my team and showing them how to keep on dreaming to expand and grow.”

When asked about the seeds received from Rotarians Against Hunger, she shares, “The radishes grew really big! I prepared them in different dishes for my children and they loved it! We learned how to take full advantage of everything here, and now, all of the products are growing properly.”

To the volunteers and staff that have worked with the community for the past six years, Mangloris says, “Thank you. We love and miss you all! We did a great job all together. Thank you for picking our community to work it and for teaching us. Canaque is a kind community that has welcomed all. May God bless you!”

To the seeds donors, Mangloris would like to express, “We are very grateful for the seeds! They have been of great use to all of us. We have harvested and eaten them already. Thank you and may God bless you.”

Baldomeo lives with his wife Javiera, and their five children in the community of El Canaque, San Marcos, located at the skirts of Volcano Tajumulco. Baldomeo works in agriculture, while Javiera stays at home to thake care of their children.

It is not an easy road to get to Canaque, but as soon as you enter it, you can notice the warmth of the people and the shy smiles of the children watching you.

Baldomeo is part of Habitat Guatemala’s Family Gardens Project that started in 2014. Six years later, Baldomeo proudly shows his garden, filled with a variety of different vegetables. He shares how their lives have changed and that they now have a more nutritious diet.

“We used to buy every vegetable that we ate, like onions, carrots, spinach, cabbage, radish and many more. Now, if we want to eat something, we just grab it from our backyard; feeling calm and happy knowing it’s organic and fresh,” says Baldomeo.

The family’s eating habits have changed too. They have learned new ways to cook all of the vegetables they have at their reach; taking full advantage of their nutritional value.  The family has added new types of vegetables to their diet, “We learned to prepare omelettes with spinach, beets, and carrots, among other dishes. Making these improvements has helped our children’s nutrition,” explains Baldomeo.

When asked about the seeds received from Rotarians Against Hunger, Baldomeo explains, “The spinach, onions, radish and carrots have grown great!  We received a new variety of spinach and it tastes really good!”

Baldomeo is the leader of “Garden 5.” As part of the project he, along with other members of the community, received a series of different trainings about agriculture, community development and nutrition.  “During one of the trainings, they (Habitat & America Solidaria) took us to a place where we saw how well they manage a garden in small spaces. Here, we have much more space, so we make the most of it. I have learned to make good use of the land that we have in order to have a bigger production and be able to sell some of it. We have our own henhouse and our own garden,” says Baldomeo.

To the volunteers and staff that have worked with the community for the past six years, Baldomeo expresses, “Thanks to each volunteer for all of the knowledge that they shared with us. They have helped us improve, and now we are improving our lives on our own.”

To the seeds donors, Baldomeo iterates, “Thank you for the donation of the seeds, they have been growing great! We are looking forward to receive further support from you in the future.”

Ezequiel lives with his wife, Daniela, and their four year old son, Juan Rodolfo, in their new Habitat home in Santa Lucía Utatlán, Sololá. While Ezequiel works as an ambulance driver, Daniela stays home and takes care of Juan.

Ezequiel’s father, Herber, welcomed us into their home because Ezequiel was called to an urgent meeting in Guatemala city and they could not be present for our visit.

Herber shares that the family has known about Habitat Guatemala for many years. He built a house of his own twenty years ago. Now it is time for Ezequiel and Daniela to start a new life for their family, in their own space.

Before partnering with Habitat Guatemala, they used to live with Herber and the rest of their family members. “The family was growing and that is why we decided to build this house for them,” shares Herber.

When asked how they feel with their new home, Herber shares, “They feel happy; all of us feel happy. Now, they have their own space to live, they feel calm and safe. They are happy to form and grow their family.”

In the future, the family is planning to add another room and make the most of the spaces in their new home.

When asked about the time the family spent with the volunteers, Herber recalls, “It was a great week. We got really close, they worked hard! We have very good memories of them.  We are very grateful for their support.”

“Thank you all for your big support, you can see the result of your hard work. Our family sends you all a big hug. We will always remember you. May God bless you!” – Herber Anleu.

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.