The first thing you will see when you enter into the yard of Ambrocio Hernández, and his wife Santa, are freely roaming chickens! Ambrocio, Santa, and their four children, Karen (15), Bryson (12), Denia (11) and Gerson (9), all live at a slower pace of life in the town of La Esperanza. 

When they first heard about Habitat, they were living in the city and paying a high monthly rent. The couple shared that they wanted ownership and to reduce their monthly expenses. After going through the process, both are now proud homeowners. Now they spend most of their free time at home. “There’s not a lot of noise and we always feel at peace. Before there was a lot of noise from the cars, here it is more beautiful, it is much calmer, and there’s enough water here, we like living here because we are much more at peace.”

Ambrocio is a salesperson and Santa, is a homemaker. When asked what they have planned for the house, they laughed and responded “more chickens!…”for eggs in the morning.” They also would like to plant flowers and a durazno (peach) tree in their front yard too.

All this is possible, because of the group that visited and helped the couple build their home in May of last year. “It’s a great memory because they helped us to build the house,” Ambrocio remembers; “During this week, I had a lot of work, but thanks to God for the volunteers who came from the United States to help, we are very happy because they helped us in a great way and helped us build the house much faster.”

“I’m so grateful for Habitat because when people really need a house, they’ve really made it possible for families,” says Ambrocio.

When you first meet Maria, one thing is obvious – she’s a proud mom and grandmother. She lives in just outside Quetzaltenango in La Esperanza, where the land space is enough for farming and to raise chickens. Her recently constructed Habitat home brings her a joy and a peace of mind she could not have known just a few short months earlier. Just this year, Maria’s eldest son lost his wife. Having a home through Habitat meant Maria could leave her work as a daily market vendor and go to the countryside to take care of her 2 grandchildren while her son mourned his recent loss and continued working to provide for his family. Just a few short months earlier, the high cost of her rent would not have allowed her this option or easily would have caused a financial hardship.

Two months later, Maria is back to her sense of normalcy. You can see the affection from her daughter, who is happy to have her back home. In her new Habitat home, Maria is relaxed and says she can sleep much more peacefully. There is less traffic, less noise and she no longer has a high rent. She continues to work hard and enjoys a better quality of life where her family can be her foremost priority.

Maria credits the volunteers who came to help with building her home – “it was a very beautiful experience because (the volunteers) worked a lot. I was sad when they left, because we shared a lot. They worked here and helped, especially with the columns.” “I shared a bit of refreshments and food but they did not accept it because they wanted to be considerate—but the last day with my children we shared in a meal together.” Maria says sharing this meal was her favorite part of the experience. They blessed me so much that I wanted to bless them.

“Thank you so much for your help” Maria says, “for the support that you gave us when you came, because of your help the house was built quickly.” We are so grateful.

Nicolasa lives with her husband Celso,  Jorge (6), Celso (10) and Julieta (18) in a small community in San Lucas Tolimán, Sololá.   While Celso works in the fields, doña Nicolasa takes care of the home and weaves textiles to have an extra income.

By partnering with Habitat for Humanity Guatemala, Nicolasa and her family now have their own smokeless stove, sanitary latrine, and water filter. Before, the family did not have adequate sanitation and access to potable water.

Nicolasa used to cook on an small stove that was in bad shape and old, “it was hard to cook because it took a lot of time to heat and I had to use a lot of wood,” explains Nicolasa, “the new one does not need a lot of wood and it heats really quick, it is big and I can cook all my meals at the same time, I feel really happy with it!” Regarding their latrine, Nicolasa explains that the old one was in bad conditions and really old. “All my family is really happy with the new one, it is more private and comfortable,” she says.

In most communities in rural Guatemala, access to potable water is limited. That is why the water filter has made a big impact in their lives too, it has lowered gastrointestinal diseases in their children and now they can drink from the filter whenever they want. “We used to drink water directly from the sink before, now from the filter it has a different flavor and it is safer.”

Nicolasa remembers all the good times spent with the volunteers! “We had a good time, we shared lunch together, they were happy, as I said to them, even though my house is small it is open for all of you”, she continues; “I hope that everyone is doing great, I am forever grateful with all of you, I will always carry you in my heart.”

Doña Alian lives with her husband Rubenson, their children Dylan (7), Kendra (3) and her mother Francisca in a small community in San Lucas Tolimán, Sololá. Rubenson works in a hospital, while Alian takes care of their children and home.

By partnering with Habitat for Humanity Guatemala, Alain and her family now have their own smokeless stove, sanitary latrine, and water filter. Before, the family did not have adequate sanitation and access to potable water.  Alain used to cook on an open flame stove, “there was a lot of smoke and it was hard for me to cook on the old stove,” she continues, “sometimes when we had dinner and went to bed but small pieces of wood kept burning and the smoke made it uncomfortable to sleep.”

When asked about her new stove, Alain explains: “I feel happy, the stove is working great! It saves wood and it is really big, I can cook everything in there.” About their latrine, Alain explains that the old one was in bad condition, the new stove “is more safe for my children and healthy!” she says.

In most communities in rural Guatemala, the access to potable water is limited. That is why the water filter has made a big impact in their lives too, it has lowered gastrointestinal diseases in their children and now they can drink from the filter whenever they want.

Alain remembers all the good times spent with the volunteers! “We shared with all of them, they worked really hard as a team, we shared lunch together and were really fun too”, she continues: “I pray to God every day for all of you, may God bless you and thank you for supporting us.”