42 Healthy Home Kits to coffee-growing families in Chiquimula

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Thanks to the support of EFICO Foundation, King Baudouin Foundation and Hesselink Koffie, Habitat for Humanity Guatemala delivered 42 “Healthy Home Kits” to families living in extreme poverty in Caserío El Bendito and Caserío Los Vásquez, Chiquimula.

This project consists of delivering to 33 of the families: a sink (outdoor washing station), a cement floor, a water purifying filter; and to the remaining 9: a smokeless stove, a cement floor and a water purifying filter.

The current living conditions of these families are not conducive to good family health: cooking with an open flame causes excessive indoor smoke exposure and respiratory problems for everyone living there; dirty floors cause the spread of bacteria from outside the home to inside, and harbor insects that transmit infectious diseases. Inadequate washing stations cause the spread of infectious diseases, and the consumption of unpurified water causes gastrointestinal diseases.

The use of these kits seeks to improve the health and well-being of families through access to basic necessities: clean and purified water, a healthy cooking environment and adequate flooring.

In addition, we are contributing to the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda through Sustainable Development Goal 7 “Affordable and Non-Polluting Energy”, as smokeless cookstoves help reduce firewood consumption by 50%. This allows communities to experience less deforestation. Also, the stove technology safely removes smoke and carbon monoxide from inside the home, making firewood a cleaner source of energy.

We thank all the organizations that join us in building a better Guatemala!

 

 

 

 

 

Juan González Family – Hybrid House Program – Home for a Home

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As of for many Guatemalan families, Juan, Rosa María and their son Andy (4) the dream of having a safe space for them to call home was far from being accomplish.  

This young couple started their family 3 years ago. Their house was built with metal corrugated sheets and dirt floor, causing several inconvenients for them, especially during rainy season, because water leaked and wetted everything, “The water went through here like a river, sometimes Andy folded paper boats and played with them, because he felt it was like a river or lake inside our house”, mentions Rosa Maria. 

Thanks to the support of Home for a Home in coordination with Habitat Guatemala, they have been living in their new hybrid home for 1 month. They share the differences that they have already noticed: “It is much more comfortable. We now have light and no more water leaks. Most importantly, we feel more joy since we moved in. Before we felt sad because our house was dark and cold.  We felt that a new home was never going to be a reality. Now, Andy can grow and develop in a much safer space, in his own room”, Rosa María mentions.  

Juan and Rosa Maria are excited to finally have a place that they can decorate and make comfortable for their family. “As a family, we want to continue improving our quality of life. This is just the beginning. – Juan González. 

They share a message for the donors: “We are grateful to you all. May God continue to provide you with the resources so you can continue supporting families like ours. Thank you!” – Rosa María.  

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Ana Pic- Hybrid House Program – Home for a Home

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Ana, her husband Antonio and their two children Jose Antonio and Ana Cecilia, have been living in her brother-in-law’s house for the last 16 years. The house was in poor condition with a leaking roof and not enough space and privacy for everyone.  

With the support of Home for a Home, Ana and her family are now the proud owners of a hybrid house. When asked how they feel about their new home, Ana answers: “It has been a great improvement for my family, especially for my children. Now, we do not have to worry about waking up in the middle of the night to make a path for the rain to go through. We can sleep at peace knowing we are safe”. In the future, the family is planning to paint the house in a bright peach color. 

The hybrid house has a cement floor, which helps reduce parasitic and infectious diseases such as influenza and other intestinal infections. Complemented with the water filter, the Pic family now has access to clean drinking water. In addition, they have also received a sanitary latrine as their former latrine was already in poor condition after 16 years of use.  

“I would like to thank everyone who was involved in the construction of our house. Without you, this dream would not have been possible to achieve”. -Ana Víctoria Pic  

 

 

 

Isabel Tuc Family – Hybrid House Program – Home for a Home

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Isabel, her husband Domingo, and their five children, Juana (18), Bryan (15), Rudy (14) Elmer (13) and Madeline (11) are the owners of a new Hybrid Home in the community of Santa Lucía Utatlán, Sololá.  

Our Hybrid Home is a two-room home built with a mix of traditional materials: adobe blocks, cement blocks, and wood. This solution is partially subsidized which means that beneficiary families are asked to contribute towards the cost of materials and provide labor such as preparing adobe blocks, among other tasks. Before partnering with Home for a Home and Habitat Guatemala, Isabel and her family used to live in a one room house built out of adobe blocks and wood with a ground floor. When asked how they feel about their new home, Isabel answers, “This has been a big change for us. Now, we feel calm. The rain and wind can come, because we are safe here”. 

As part of the Hybrid House Programs, families also receive a latrine, smokeless stove, water filter and a pila. This helps them improve their health by giving them access to proper sanitation, a smoke-free environment and safe drinking water.  When asked what is her favorite part of the house, she smiles and answers; “The entire house is my favorite part! I have always asked God for a house like this one!”  

Isabel finishes by sharing a message with the donors, “May God bless you. Thank you for sharing this blessing with us. We are grateful and wish you well in your paths”. 

 

 

 

 

 

#Myhabitatexperience – Herbert Mejía

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I am Herbert Mejía, Coordinator of Special Projects at Habitat Guatemala for over a year now! I am an empathetic, enthusiastic and proactive person, full of love for others who puts to the test and applies her professional knowledge and lived experiences in favor of needy and vulnerable Guatemalans without affecting their knowledge, ancestral practices and culture.

Why Habitat Guatemala?

Habitat for Humanity is nationally and internationally recognized for supporting families with affordable housing solutions, but in Guatemala it has also had a positive impact on its most remote and needy communities with its program to address extreme poverty and special construction projects; Thanks to this, social support projects are carried out regardless of whether our specialty is housing solutions. Through this program, we can implement projects ranging from agricultural and poultry projects, concrete floors, water purification filters to projects such as drinking water systems, Habitat neighborhoods, hybrid housing and emergency response projects; all of them accompanied by technical training in construction, use, maintenance and education according to each project implemented, thus achieving sustainability; All this caught my attention and interest to be able to opt for a space within Habitat and let my imagination, professional knowledge and experience to design and implement a variety of projects for the benefit of the neediest families, thanks to the support, collaboration and contribution of national and international donors.

Your Habitat Experience

A year collaborating with Habitat might seem very little, but I have managed to get into the heart of several communities in nine of the twenty-two departments of the country and I have felt happy and satisfied to see a smile on the face of the members of a family that have a new and adequate house for them to live in. The tranquility and confidence of most housewives to have a smokeless stove and a smoke-free environment that will save time in hauling and reduces the amount of cutting firewood. Also the peace of the parents to see a child drinking safe water thanks to the water filter, a happy community to see that they already have drinking water in their homes or that a food security and economic reactivation project has been implemented. I have also been strengthened culturally by sharing and learning from the identity of the communities; all of that we have achieved with the team of each local office is under the banner of showing the love of God in action.

A message to the Habitat community

Thank you! for contributing to the improvement of the quality of life of Guatemalan families, this is not a grain of sand, this is a sign of love for others that will be rewarded and multiplied many times over by those sincere blessings that families express by having a solution in their home and thank you for trusting in Habitat for Humanity Guatemala, we are here to serve you and to continue working together to support more Guatemalan families.

Miguel Caac- Eta&Iota Response

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In the community of Las Pavas, Chisec, Alta Verapaz, Miguel proudly welcomes us in his kitchen, alongside his wife and two children. Miguel works in agriculture in nearby fields, while his wife takes care of the household chores. During Eta/Iota storms, Las Pavas was very affected, due to severe flooding. “Water came from above, from the floor, from the sides, from everywhere”, mentions Miguel.

To support the families, like Miguel’s, who were affected by the storms, Habitat Guatemala, in coordination with Trocaire and Habitat for Humanity International developed the Project for Humanitarian Assistance in Response to Eta/Iota storms. A total of 411 families were provided with a construction material kit for roof repairs, and 48 families benefited from a concrete floor and a water filter.

Miguel’s family now eats in the kitchen that has a bright new red concrete floor, with no more mud or dust. “We feel proud. It looks pretty and clean. It is a joy to clean it and to welcome guests in our kitchen”, says Miguel. As Beneficiaries of a water filter, they no longer have to carry water from the river up to 3 times a day for a 20-minute walk.

“From Las Pavas community, receive our greetings and gratitude. Thank you for providing us with these products to improve our health. May God bless you”. – Miguel Caac.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Olivia Chun – Eta&Iota Response

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Olivia, her husband Arnoldo, and their daughter Maybelline (2), welcomed us to their new home renovation in the community of Mucbilha, Chisec, Alta Verapaz. Arnoldo works on nearby palm cultivation, while Olivia stays at home.

The community of Mucbilha was severely damaged from the storms Eta and Iota.

During the storms, the room the family lived in became unsafe for the family, as rain leaked through the roof.

Through the Project for Humanitarian Assistance Response to Eta/Iota, carried out by Habitat Guatemala with the support of Habitat International, Olivia and her family were able to receive the support to renovate their roof. Now, little Maybelline will grow up in a safer and healthier space, sheltered from the rain and other weather conditions. “Thank you to the donors for providing us with these products. We bless you and your families”. – Olivia Chun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gilberto Pop – Eta&Iota Response

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Gilberto lives with his wife Carolina, and their five children, Horacio, Iris, Gudy, and baby in the community of Las Pavas, Alta Verapaz. While Gilberto works in agriculture, Carolina is a housewife.

Like many communities in Alta Verapaz, Las Pavas was affected by the storms Eta and Iota. In the country, over 2 million people living in poor conditions were impacted by the passage of the storms. “It was hard for us because the river rose. Our houses were badly damaged as the water came from everywhere. We were worried for our children”, says Gilberto.

To support these families, Habitat Guatemala, in coordination with Trocaire and Habitat for Humanity International developed the Humanitarian Assistance Project in Response to Eta/Iota storms. A total of 411 families were provided with a construction material kit for roof repairs, and 48 families benefited from a concrete floor and a water filter. Through this project, families like Gilberto’s have improved their living conditions and health. Now, Baby Sayda has a clean and safe place to grow up and play.

Gilberto has a message for the donors: “As a family, we are very grateful for this support. Receive our greetings from Guatemala. Thank you for your support to our communities”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Opportunities

National Office

Avenida Las Américas, 9-50, zona 3,
Edificio Supercom Delco, 3er. nivel, Oficina 3,
Quetzaltenango, Quetzaltenango.
+502 7931-3131
donor@habitaguate.org

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Carretera a San Bartolomé Becerra casa #6,
Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepéquez.
+502 7832-4436 / +502 7832-4572
guategv@habitaguate.org

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