Maria Flora and her family of six live in the village of Xesuj San Martin. She and her husband Wilson have two sons, Pedro Antonio and Carlos Alexander. Wilson’s mother, Ellie and brother, Romeo also live with the family. Almost one year ago, they moved into their current house and shortly after, received a smokeless stove, which they built together with a small group of volunteers.

The kindness of these volunteers is what Maria Flora remembers most and she says she has never forgotten them. When we asked what the greatest difference the stove had made in her life, she mentioned the lack of exposure to smoke, saying “the smoke leaves the house very well and I haven’t had any problems (inhaling) it since.” It has changed her daily life because the food cooks a lot sooner.

She used to cook for five or six hours while doing other house chores because they were limited to a single fire. Now she has more of her day to do other things and to spend attentively with her children. Maria Flora expresses how grateful she is for this change and says the volunteers who came made it possible.

In a small community called Las Lomas in Chimaltenango, Doña Blanca lives with her husband  Jose, and their two girls: Naydelin (7) Darlin (10). José works in agriculture, the girls are studying and Blanca is a homemaker.

Before partnering with Habitat Guatemala to receive her smokeless stove, Blanca used to cook over an open flame stove; causing smoke to be inside her kitchen, irritation in her eyes and respiratory diseases to the girls too.

When asked how she feels with her new stove, Blanca responds: “I feel happy, it is very different now! There is no more smoke inside our kitchen and I can prepare my tortillas while cooking our beans and rice.”

The family have good memories of the time shared with the volunteers, “It has been a big blessing to receive them in our house and spend time together, we had a great day!” says José.

José and Blanca finish by sharing a message to the volunteers: “Thank you all for your big heart and support, may God bless you! Receive our greetings and feel welcome to come back and visit us again.”

Crisanta’s home in October 2018

Crisanta’s home in May 2019 with a fresh new coat of paint

Last year, we met Crisanta López González and six of her children – Roxana (19), Sabina (15), Juan Alberto (13), Yadira (10), Harley (7), and Taylor (6) – in San Juan Ostuncalco, a community located in the department of Quetzaltenango, in western Guatemala.

In January 2018, the lives of the López family members dramatically changed when Crisanta’s husband, Juan, passed away unexpectedly. Juan, who worked as a mason, was the family’s breadwinner. Upon his passing, Crisanta took it upon herself to provide for her children, cleaning houses and office spaces twice a week in order to put food on the table.

The whole family inhabits a three-bedroom house that had stained walls and a leaky roof. The latter forced them to all sleep in one room and share two beds amongst themselves. The López family did not have a functional latrine. Crisanta used to cook on and old stove that was in poor conditions too, causing her and the children to have respiratory diseases and red eyes.

Crisanta, Taylor, and Harley in their living room in October 2018

Crisanta and Taylor in their living room in May 2019

In light of their living conditions, Habitat Guatemala, through its Vulnerable Famillies Fund, provided the López family with a new roof, a fresh coat of paint for the walls, a Chispa stove, a water filter, and a new sanitary latrine. Improving their quality of life with a safe roof and adequate access to proper sanitation and a smoke-free environment.

Crisanta shares how her family’s daily life has improved with the products:“Now that we have a new roof, there is no more water leaking and everyone is happy! Before, when it started raining our beds got so wet that all of us had to cuddle in one to not feel cold.”

Regarding their sanitary latrine, Crisanta explains that the new one is cleaner, more comfortable and private, “I am very grateful to Habitat, because I feel that all of you are my family now.” When asked about her new Chispa stove she explains, “With our new stove we do not need to use as much firewood and there is no more smoke inside the kitchen.”

Thank you to everyone who heard Crisanta’s story and chose to support her in her journey towards improving her quality of life.

The stove that Cristanta was using during Habitat’s visit to her home in October 2018

The new Chispa stove that Crisanta is utilizing as of May 2019

Yolanda lives with her husband Francisco and their three children, Catherine (6), Laisa (4), and baby Juan (1) in a small community in Sololá.  While Rolando works as a mason, Yolanda takes care of the children and is a home maker.

“I used to share an old stove with my mother in law; both of us learned about Habitat Guatemala’s Healthy Home Kit project and decided to apply,” explains Yolanda. A few months later, she is happy with her new stove. “I feel happy. It is working perfectly and it does not consume much wood. It gives me enough space to cook my tortillas and beans at the same time.”

Thanks to the design of the smokeless stove of Habitat for Humanity Guatemala, Yolanda and her family are no longer affected by the smoke that used to be in their kitchen. They used to cough and suffer from irritated eyes. Now, she can cook without any fear that her children will have health problems. Moreover, because the stove consumes a small amount of firewood, she does not need to buy as many logs as before.

The water filter has also improved the health of her entire family. Yolanda notes that her family no longer suffers from stomach pains. She also has found that the taste of the water has improved.

In addition, the latrine has improved living conditions for Yolanda’s family. Now they have a cleaner, healthier and more private place to go to the bathroom. In part, this is also due to the fact that only Yolanda, her husband, and their children use it. With the previous latrine, they had to share it with other relatives since they are living in the same complex.

When asked about the group that came to help her family, a smile appears on Marcelina’s face, “It was a fun day! The volunteers made us laugh and shared time with my kids.”

Yolanda is grateful to the group of volunteers that helped build her stove and latrine, “Thank you for your support. We feel very happy with our products, we send greetings to all of them.”