Smokeless Stove: María Marroquín

Maria Ursula Marroquín and her husband Lazaro have lived in the town of Joya Grande for the past 36 years along with their three children, Rosalina, Angel and Lydia.

Recently, Maria Ursula and Lazaro received their first smokeless stove when a group of volunteers came to help them build. The stove took just one day to build but has impacted the family and their daily lives. Before, Maria Ursula cooked on an open fire “pollo” stove, built into the earth with adobe and wood. The smoke from the stove affected the family and caused coughing and throat pain. “Now it’s more comfortable” Maria says. Her favorite meals to cook on her new stove is pollo guisado, a stewed chicken, and caldo, a traditional soup.

To the group who came to help them build Maria Ursula is grateful for her new stove and the way it has changed her well-being, especially her health.