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.”

Marcelina lives with her husband Rolando, and their four girls, Sindy (10), Ana (7), Tomasa (4) and Violeta (4 months) in a small community in Sololá.  While Rolando works as a mason, Marcelina takes care of the children and weaves traditional clothes.

“I used to cook over an open flame on the floor; I learned about Habitat Guatemala’s Healthy Home Kit project, talked to my husband and we decided to try it,” explains Marcelina. A few months later, she is happy with the stove. “I feel content. The stove is working great and it does not consume a lot of firewood. It heats up quickly and gives me enough space to cook all of my meals.”

Thanks to Habitat for Humanity Guatemala, Marcelina and her family are no longer affected from issues created by smoke. They used to cough and suffer from irritated eyes. Now, she can cook without any fear that her girls will have health problems. Moreover, because the stove consumes less firewood, Marcelina does not need to buy as many logs as before.

The water filter has also improved the health of her entire family. Marcelina notes that her family no longer suffers from stomach pains. She also has found that the taste of the water is different, but better.

In addition, the latrine has improved living conditions for Marcelina’s family and is now a cleaner, healthier and a more private environment. In part, this is also due to the fact that only Marcelina, her husband, and their girls use it. With the previous latrine, they had to share it with other relatives.

When asked about the group that came to help her family, a smile appears on Marcelina’s face, “I felt very happy about the day we spent with the volunteers, we had a good time.”

Above all, Ruby is grateful to the group of international volunteers that helped build her stove and latrine, “Tiox! (thank you in Kaqchikel) Thank you for your support, your big hearts and for coming to visit us. We are happy with these products. May God bless you.”

 

Sandra lives with her husband Max, and their three boys Anderson(12), José Antonio (7), and two year old baby Estuardo in a small community in San Lucas Tolimán. While Ronaldo works as a mason, Sandra is a home maker.

As part of our Healthy Home Kit, families receive a smokeless stove, a sanitary latrine and a water filter, these products help them improve their health by giving them adequate access to proper sanitation, potable water and a smoke-free environment.

Sandra shares how implementing a smokeless stove has improved aspects of their family’s daily life: “I had a stove before, but it was in poor condition, it had cracks causing the smoke to be all around my kitchen,” she continues; “my new stove makes me feel proud and content, because it is working very well, there’s no more smoke inside my kitchen!”

Previously, Sandra and her family had to share the same latrine with her mother in law and more relatives.
Regarding their water filter, Sandra explains that they used to drink water directly from the sink. “Now my kids can drink clean water, without getting stomach aches,” says Sandra.

She finishes with a message to the volunteers; “I am grateful to the volunteers that came to help us built our stove and latrine, may God bless you!”