Juan lives with his wife Mayda, and their son Axel (11) in their new Habitat home in a small town in Chimaltenango.  Juan works as a janitor in a nearby school and Mayda is a home maker.

Before partnering with Habitat Guatemala the family used to live in the school where Juan is currently working. After learning about our programs through a construction fair, they decided it was time to build a house of their own.

When asked how the feels with his new home, Juan smiles, and responds, ”We feel happy, it is all worth it! this is for my son.”  The family is planning to fence around the house and paint the walls in the future.  “I have taken some garden trainings, so I am also planning to add a beautiful garden too,” says Juan.

He finishes by sharing a message to the volunteers: “Thank you for your support! Receive our greetings, we are very happy with the house.”

Luis lives with his wife María and their baby Antonio (2) in their new Habitat home in Alotenango, Sacatepéquez. Luis works in a fast food restaurant while María takes care of Antonio and the house.

They used to live with Luis parents, in one room with not enough space for their own. That is why when they learned about Habitat Guatemala’s programs, they knew that this was a way to make their dream a reality. Their primary motivation to build a new home was to have a stable place to live and enough space for their growing family.

When Luis and María start talking about how they feel in their new home, their joy is obvious.  “We feel happy, more comfortable, calm and free in our own space!” Luis continues; “we would like to add a garden and a fence around the house in the future.”

Luis works on a night shift, that is why on his free time, they enjoy playing with Antonio and watching tv as a family!

The family has a message they would like to share with the volunteers who helped them build their home, “Thank you for your support! May God bless you. We hope everybody is doing great.”

Sarita lives with her husband, Alvaro, their two girls Tania (11), María (7) and Alvaro’s mother in the community of El Rajón, Chimaltenango. While Sara takes care of the girls and house chores, Alvaro works in the fields to make a living.

Before partnering with Habitat Guatemala to receive their smokeless stove, Sara used to cook over an open flame, causing her to have irritation in her eyes and respiratory diseases due to the smoke. “Now the smoke goes outside, it is no longer inside our kitchen,” says Sara.

Sara explains how she feels with her new stove: “I feel happy, now the smoke is no longer inside my kitchen, I just have to light the wood and it keeps burning by itself,” she continues, “I am saving a lot of wood too, because it is big enough for me to cook all my meals at the same time.”

She finishes by sharing a message to the volunteers: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support, May God continue giving you strength to keep on helping people in need.”

Américo lives with his wife María Esperanza, and their three children, Karla (17), Erick (15) and José (11) in their new Habitat home in San Pedro las Huertas, Sacatepéquez. Américo is a tailor and Esperanza works as a nanny, while all the kids are studying!

Before partnering with Habitat Guatemala the family used to live in an old house that was built half with blocks and half wood, their family of five living in just two rooms. Their prime motivation to build a new home was for everybody to have their own space, “This house is not for me, it is for my children,” says Américo. He explains that after learning about Habitat and attending the trainings they finally decided to invest in their own home!

When asked about how they feel with their new home, Américo smiles, and responds, ” We are very happy, especially my kids, the house is really pretty!”

As a family, they enjoy spending time together, having lunch and watching movies too! “We have more comfort now, everybody has their own room,” says Américo.

When asked about the week of construction with the volunteers, Américo and the children start smiling and sharing some of their memories of that time that they spent together,“It was a great week! They were really strong and fun. They helped us a lot, carrying all the materials inside,” he continues, “we are very grateful for their support, may God bless them.”