Doña Odilia lives with her husband Ramiro, and five children: Ramiro, Iris, Leydi, Aldri and Anthony in a small community called el Durazno, Chimaltenango. Doña Odilia takes care of the home and works in different houses doing laundry, while Ramiro works in the fields and takes care of their cows.  Ramiro Jr. helps taking care of the cows in the morning and in the afternoon he goes to school, the rest of the children also go to school, except little Anthony who will start attending next year.

Before receiving a Smokeless Stove, Odilia used to cook on a “pollo,” an open fire stove that she built herself. It caused her and her family different respiratory diseases and red eyes because of the smoke.

Odilia feels really happy and content because she says “I have never cooked in a stove like this, now I can prepare my tortillas really fast, and cook my food too, with less wood.  I am really thankful to God and the persons that helped us with this project,” she continues, “it was a really nice surprise!”

When asked about the day of construction, Odilia refers: “It was a really nice day, my children and I were really happy, it was a great blessing, she continues, “may God bless you all.”

“Thank you for thinking about us even though you live far away, we are looking forward to seeing you again, feel welcome here!” She continues, “every day I thank God for the stove and send prayers for you all.”

Nora Melgar, lives with her husband José, and children María (6) Emy (4), Nury (2) in their new Habitat home in Alotenango, Chimaltenango.  Daniel works in a hotel and Nora is a teacher.

When asked about how she feels with her house, she expresses: “I feel very happy! First, I want to give thanks to God and thanks to Habitat for helping us. My husband constantly says that he still cannot believe that we would have a house of our own ever,” she continues, “In Habitat it is an easy application process, and we are thankful because they have given us better opportunities, I can happily say that we are paying for something that will last, for something of our own.”

Thelma lives with her daughters Jazmín (4) and Ingrid (3) and her husband Danny, who recently returned from working in Canada, in their new Habitat home in the department of Chimaltenango.

Before building their new house, Thelma and her family used to live with her parents: “We were living with my parents in a small room for the four of us. We did not have enough space, and my girls wanted to have their own space to play.”

They learned about our programs through Thelma’s sister who already owns a Habitat house. “We did not have enough resources to pay for our own house. That was one of the reasons my husband went to Canada to work and pay for it,”  explains Thelma.

When asked how she feels about her new house, she answers: “I feel really happy. It was our dream and now it is a reality.”  She continues: “with my husband, we are at home, and feel calm and can enjoy.” The family is planning to add a big garden and paint the house in the future.

About the volunteers, she says: “I remember the volunteers a lot because they worked really hard. I was very happy to receive them and share with them.” Thelma continues: “They were really fun and never got tired.”

Thelma sends the volunteers a special message: “Thank you very much for your help, we are very happy with our house! I encourage you to keep on helping and may God bless you.”

(Pictured Sara and her niece, who constantly visits her)

The Carrillo family is currently living in their new Habitat home in the department of El Progreso. Sara (25), works as a waiter in a local restaurant and her husband, Axel (32), is a retailer at a local store. When we visited their family we learned that it is about to grow in numbers, the young couple is expecting their first baby girl!

Sara and Axel were still dating, and planning to get married, when she found out about Habitat Guatemala’s programs through a local fair. Sara explains their situation, “First our house and then our marriage… now we are ready to start our family!”

“I am so happy and very content to have my own space. It is a great achievement for me!” explains Sara about how she feels about her home. She continues to explain their plans for the future, “I want to paint it and in the future add more rooms. I like to cook, spend time with my husband and listen to music too.”

As for the family’s experience with the volunteers Sara says, “They liked to share a lot of time with us. We made great memories with them when we walked around our neighborhood.” She continues, “thank you very much for your support, I will always carry you in my heart and mind. Feel welcome whenever you want to come back.”