Rosalía lives with her three children, Jackelyn (8) Jennifer (6), Jorge (2) and her aunt’s family in a small community in Chimaltenango. Rosalía’s husband has recently died, and she weaves traditional women clothes to make a living and support her children.

Before receiving her smokeless stove, Rosalía used to cook on an old stove that was in bad conditions and did not permit the smoke to go outside the kitchen, causing her and her children respiratory diseases.

Rosalía’s reality has change a lot since her stove was built, “I feel  content with it, now I do not need to buy wood so often because I only use two pieces or less to cook all my food.”

She finishes with a message to the volunteers: “Thank you all for your support in building my stove, may God bless you.”

In a small community in Sololá, Doña Rosalia lives with her brother-in-law Nazario and her son Cristobal. Her husband, Francisco, passed away ten years ago. Doña Rosalía takes care of the home and her aging brother-in-law, while Cristobal works in Guatemala city to support the family.

Before partnering with Habitat Guatemala to receive her smokeless stove, María used to cook on an old stove that was over 20 years old and was in bad condition; causing smoke to be inside her kitchen, irritation in her eyes and respiratory diseases.

When asked how she feels with her new stove, Rosalía responds: “I feel very happy Maltiox (thank you)!

Rosalía has good memories of the time shared with the volunteers, “It was a very fun day, we shared lunch together,” she continues; “Maltiox and Maltiox to everyone for their support.”

The best way to describe Doña Carmen is, “she is the backbone of her family.” She lives with her twin sons, Daniel Eduardo, Ruben Eduardo and her three grandchildren, Estrella, Jimena, and Bryan, who she cares for full time. The house they were renting was poorly made and water would enter each time it rained. Doña Carmen wanted something better for her family, but with a low monthly income, finding a house with enough room for a family of six, on a small budget, was difficult.

Carmen knew about Habitat and wanted a change and with help from her older children, she was able to purchase land to build her Habitat home. The family now lives in their Habitat home, and although the house is slightly smaller than their prior rental, its clean conditions and properly insulated walls and ceiling against the rain make it all worthwhile—and there’s still enough space for everyone.

Doña Carmen fondly remembers the volunteers who came to help. “I have a lot of memories of them – how well they treated the children, how they came to put their hands to work to help my family.”

She says of the group, “may God bless them, take care of them. It was a short time that we were together, but I hope that one day they will come back to see us.”

Retalhuleu is a city where many residents know of the benefits of Habitat’s services, however few have the resources to purchase land. For the handful that do, they often need additional help completing their homes.

Edwin and his wife Clara lived in a loaned house along with their three children, Edwin II, Angel Daniel and Jose Alejandro before pursing the idea of building a house through Habitat. Edwin, is a bus conductor and Clara is a teacher.  Edwin’s job offers flexibility so he can be with the children during the afternoons. About his job, Edwin says; “I like it, I can come home at what hour I would  like, like now, meeting you all.”

The house they lived in before belonged to Edwin’s brother and he only had to pay the energy. This allowed Edwin and Clara to save money to purchase a plot of land and build their Habitat house. It was the volunteers who really made a difference toward the completion of their house. “Thank you for coming to lend a hand. We lacked a lot and you helped us to finish. If you did not raise the funds to help us, we would not have this home.” When asked how it feels to finally have a house of his own? He shares, “it feels good,” –and how do the kids feel about having a house? “ they don’t have a choice” he quips and a smile spreads across his face, “they seem to really enjoy it.”