Lucia Virginia lives with her husband, Gerson, their young son, Gerson Gael, and her sister-in-law in Sololá. Prior to building their home, the family rented a house in the town of Panajachel, about half an hour away. Lucia works in Panajachel in the mornings as an office assistant and her husband is a boat driver. They bought the land about five years ago because they knew they eventually wanted to have their own home in the area; the rest of Lucia’s family moved to Guatemala City, but she decided to stay to be near her grandfather.

“We are so happy to have our own home,” Lucia expresses. “Before, we all shared two rooms–now we have four! We are planning on painting the house a melon color and in the future would like to build an addition, too.”

“It was so nice to have the volunteers here,” she continued. “Everyone was so happy to work and had so much energy! I’m so thankful for the good work that they did and ask God to bless them.”

María Morales initially decided to build a house in her community in Sololá, because her parents are getting older and she wanted them to have a comfortable place to live. María, who studied to be a secretary, works during the week in Guatemala City, but returns home often to spend time with her family and friends. But her community in Sololá is her home and she is committed to the community.

María isn’t the first person in her community to build a home by partnering with Habitat for Humanity Guatemala; several of her neighbors have done so as well and that is how she first learned it would be possible for her to own her own home.

Her mother, Antonia, loves her new home. Antonia speaks Kaqchikel, so her daughter-in-law translated her sentiments to Spanish. “Before, my husband Geronimo and I were living in a wooden house and it was very drafty,” Antonia shared. “Now I am warm at night and I can shut the door while I cook. I feel much more comfortable and happy.”

Because María spends the majority of her time in Guatemala City, her sister-in-law stepped up to help her through the process of building her home by taking care of paperwork and communicating with the Sololá Habitat Guatemala office. In this small village, the people take care of one another.

Though Antonia shares that she felt shy around the volunteers because of the language barrier, she appreciates that they came to Guatemala and helped build her new home. “I would like to see them again one day,” she said. “I hope they continue to support the people of Guatemala. They seemed so happy here and enjoyed playing with the kids. It was my first time meeting volunteers and it was so lovely.”

Arturo Valentino lives in Sololá, with his mother, sister, and brother-in-law. He owns a repair shop for cell-phones, computers, and tablets that is a short walk from the new home he built by partnering with Habitat for Humanity Guatemala. While Arturo spends his days running his busy shop, his mother, Angela, and his sister, Sandra, spend their time taking care of the home. Sandra’s husband works in local agriculture.

Prior to learning that Habitat Guatemala offers a low-interest loans to qualifying families, Arturo and his family rented a home in the same area. Now they are investing in their own future by paying a monthly mortgage instead of rent.

“Now I have more freedom!” Angela exclaims. “It’s much better than renting. I’m so happy to live in my own house and I’m going to plant flowers in the garden too.”

Arturo agrees with his mother. “We have more space and we’re much more comfortable,” he says. “We have a kitchen and a separate living room, too. I would like to thank the volunteers for their help, and may God bless them!”

Delia Hernandes lives in a small community in rural Sololá, with her husband and four children. While she works cleaning houses, the rest of her family works on the farms in the surrounding area.

As part of Habitat for Humanity Guatemala’s Healthy Home Kit, families can build a new latrine on their property. “Our new latrine is much more comfortable,” Delia says. “We are much warmer now because it has a laminate roof and wooden walls.” The old latrine, constructed three years ago, did not have a roof or walls so it was uncomfortable to use, especially in bad weather or during colder months.

Delia also sends her well wishes to the volunteers who helped build her family’s new latrine. “It was fun having them here! My boys loved playing with them,” she smiles.