Smokeless Stove: Emelia Yac

Emelia, Ronald and their two daughters, Susan (2) and Stephanie (6 months) live in Sololá. Emelia is a homemaker, and Ronald is a tailor.

The family have lived in their current house for 1 year now and recently received a Habitat stove. Prior to their new stove Emelia says, “I cooked here on a comal on the ground” a small grill, which the family propped up with stones. “The stove produced a lot of smoke and it affected me a lot. It irritated my eyes and caused a lot of coughing and it cost a lot to bend over and lift the things from the floor,” she says.

“With the wood, it is much better, and this one does not cause smoke” she says of her new stove. Her favorite dish to cook is” grilled meats, chicken, beef, it does not matter, the grill on the stove makes it easy to cook the meats this way,” she says.

Of the volunteers Emelia remembers, “they were very kind, we worked very well, we talked a lot about where everyone was from and I enjoyed having them here,” says Emelia. “Thank you for coming, it is very helpful to my family, and thank you for this benefit that you brought us.”