The Solis Family
Alejandra Solis and her family are happy to be living in their new Habitat Guatemala home in Tecpán. Before building their home, she and her husband, who works for a local business, lived with her mother. Alejandra and Elvis have three children so they wanted more space for their family. “I learned about Habitat Guatemala on Facebook,” Alejandra explains. “We were living with my mother, but wanted our own house. My father gave me the land and so we decided we were ready.”
And, with Habitat Guatemala, Alejandra and her family now have their own home. Alejandra’s relatives live across the street and her children David, Dillon, and Ami love running back and forth between the two houses and playing games with their cousins.
“We moved in at the end of February.”, Alejandra continues. “Moving was difficult, but we are so happy to be living here now. It’s much more comfortable.” The family is already making the house a home; a painting by 11 year old David decorates the kitchen wall and compliments the color tablecloths and curtains. “I hope to paint the outside of the house yellow soon.”, Alejandra shares.
“I am grateful for the volunteers who helped us because we were able to move into our home a little faster, thanks to them.”, Alejandra concludes happily.
Francisco explains Ingrid’s story: “After her husband passed away, Ingrid found work in the capital to provide for her family. She wanted to build a home for her daughters so that they would have a home in the future. I gave her the land to build the house on. The girls are little so they stay in our home while their mother works, and when she visits every fifteen days the girls stay with her in their home.”
The sister’s houses are a only short walk apart. Standing outside Elma’s house, Francisco and Teresa explains her situation: “The never comes to see them anymore,” he says. “And neither do their grandparents.” Teresa chimes in: “There is nothing we can do about that: it is the way it is,” she says. Francisco continues: “So Elma found work with her sister and also comes home every fifteen days to see Luis and Mynor.”
The love and care that Francisco and Teresa have for their grandchildren is evident. As they talk, they occasionally pause to talk to their children in Kaqchikel–while Lesli and Lidia are in school and have started to learn Spanish, the younger children do not speak Spanish yet. This is common in Chimaltenango; while more and more indigenous people are learning Spanish, the older generation values their culture and strives to pass their mother tongue down the younger generations.
