Stepping into Astrid’s lovely home, you are welcomed by a picturesque room filled with a colorful harmony of art and nature. A glass tank filled with turtles will make anyone smile right away.

Having worked at a bank for many years before, Astrid, a mother of three was slightly reluctant to approach Habitat for Humanity Guatemala. She knew firsthand how much it would take to apply for a new home through the bank. Her family was living in a small room at her parent’s house but, naturally, she grew weary of this situation, as her brothers’ families were also staying there.  Living in such a crowded home was affecting her children’s education because it didn’t allow any space for them to study or play.

On a Sunday evening, Astrid went to the Habitat Guatemala affiliate office in Chimaltenango to get the inside scoop. To her surprise, she discovered that the plans were simple, easy to access, and also affordable. That same week, she decided to apply, and a month later the construction of her new home began. In November 2016, only three short months later she applied, Astrid’s family moved into their new home, where she immediately felt at peace. After two years of working on her own without a steady job she managed to establish herself for the future of her children. With great satisfaction, she says, “For two long years, I asked my children to help me by praying for a new home every day.” Now, her children are free to play and have the proper space to study. Not only that, but she is also able to focus on her own art and work projects.

Astrid plans to put up a fence around the yard so that her children can have a safe place to play, as well as eventually add rooms for each of her children.

And to the team that came down Astrid says, “Thank you for taking time off your professions and providing the means to build our home.” She couldn’t believe that a team of highly trained doctors and lawyers would come down and work so hard with their hands. She will forever be grateful.

Under the purple mountains of Huehuetenango lies a small village called Aldea Chacaj Nentón. Except for a loose gravel path, the village has no proper road. Neighbors say that, within the community, there is no accessible potable water, nor are there educational opportunities available for their children. According to a 2006 report, over 95% of Nentón’s population lives below the poverty line, with 80% of the population living in extreme poverty. Each family here survives on less than 40 quetzales, or $5.50, per day, making it a struggle to simply get by.

However, there is change in the air. Maria Amparo Garcia (23) knows it. Every since receiving a smokeless stove, latrine, and water filter from Habitat for Humanity Guatemala, living a healthy and happy life has become a bit easier for her family. “We’ve never had a stove of our own,” she reveals to us.

Maria’s husband, Diego (22), works in the fields as an agricultural laborer. Unfortunately, like most men in the community, he has been unable to secure a steady income to support the couple and their two small daughters, three-year-old Estejira and one-year-old, Josefina. For that reason, any household expense, like a clean and safe cooking device, is usually out of the question.

“We cooked in a hole in the floor of our kitchen over an open fire, putting the logs directly into the floor.” Maria points at our feet. “We lived for two years like this.” She hated it. “I couldn’t cook when the wind was blowing. I always had a cold, and I could never really open my eyes, all because of the smoke.” She then gestures to the ceiling. Soot scars the wooden beams, demonstrating the deadly impact.

The open flames also posed a danger to her children. “Because of the open fire, my children used to grab at the wood, which burned them.” She bites her lip. “No more.”

Maria notes that the stove has had a significant economic impact, allowing her family to divert their savings for their greatest needs. “We used to have to buy 15 pieces of wood a day. Now, it’s very little of that. Whatever money we do save from not buying wood, we can now put to the little, but important things.”

She shifts a pot of corn on her stove as she speaks. “We used to wonder where our next meal was coming from. With this stove, that has become easier. We can now use whatever extra money we save for food.”

The smokeless stove is not the only device that has saved her money. She explains that, “We used to buy water for 7.5Q (about $1.00) per jug. We bought two jugs a week, which lasted us about eight days.” Maria mentions that since receiving the filter, all she has to do is fill up her filter with water from the river that meanders behind her house. This way, she saves money and also decreases the family’s dependence on their community for water sources, which in the past, has been unreliable.

In addition to a clean stove and highly effective water filter, the family’s latrine has also improved their living circumstances. Maria explains that their previous latrine was small, ineffective, and in bad repair. “Our old latrine was made out of a few planks stuck together with corn husks stuffed in between the slats.”

She explains that the previous latrine became extremely unsafe. “Dirt used to fall away around the hole, making it bigger and bigger. It became dangerous to try to use the bathroom, for fear that we would fall into the hole.”

She cites that the new latrine, however, is well made, mainly because it has a concrete floor, and the hole can no longer expand. She laughs, “we’re not afraid to go to the bathroom anymore.”

To Irving and Lois Hall, and their friends who helped change her family’s life, Maria has a special message. “We are so grateful for your support. You helped our family so much with these projects, and we are always looking for more. Thank you for your help, and thank you to Habitat for giving us this opportunity.”

After losing his home during the 2014 earthquake in San Marcos on the Western region of Guatemala, José decided to start again by coming to Habitat for a new home. Having lived in a makeshift home out of tin and wood in a rented property, José then decided to commit to a new home and invest in the future. Because his sister had a great experience with a Habitat home a few years before, he decided to build his on a piece of land that his father, Benedicto, gave him.

“I feel at peace, and it’s nice to know that I am not working to pay for someone else’s future but for mine instead,” says José, smiling with his father while we sat in the kitchen.  He moved most of his things into the house a few weeks after it was built. Jose still enjoys the single life and is slowly working to get the items that he needs to furnish his home. He plans on painting the walls, building a garage, and placing a fence on the land so that he can have a place for visitors to park in a safe area.

After showing me the stack of books in the front room, he says that now that he has the space at home he is able to spend his time preparing to be an English teacher, which is his passion. At the moment, Jose works at a call center in Xela, which is a two hour bus ride from his home.  Regardless of the distance, he enjoys the commute and always takes a book along with him on the bumpy ride to keep his mind busy.  “My favorite books are by Professor Ron Clark,” he says. “He writes on teaching to difficult students”.

José is very grateful, and after showing me the photos of the team that helped build his house, he mentions that he stays in touch with a few of the members through Facebook.  After pondering for a moment he says, “Thank you for caring and taking the trouble to come down and help me build a home,” with a heartfelt smile on his face.

Now that he has his own space for living and studying, Jose can focus on his passion to teach others like him. It wouldn’t have been possible without the help of the hard work of the Habitat volunteers.