Smokeless Stoves: The Meletz Family

María Guarcax lives in Sololá, with her husband Sirilo Meletz, and their children. Sirilio works as a baker and the rest of the family work in the fields near their home: planting, caring for, and harvesting crops.

Before learning about Habitat for Humanity Guatemala through a neighbor, María had to cook for her family on the floor of the kitchen. “Cooking was so difficult before,” she shares. “Our new stove does a much better job of cooking beans.” Besides making her life easier, the smokeless stove also funnels smoke out of the kitchen so the family no longer deals with irritated throats and eyes while cooking.

The family remembers the day the volunteers came as being a very good day. “May your lives be blessed,” Sirilo says. “Thank you for coming to help my family.”