Before Orfra Saquic partnered with Habitat for Humanity Guatemala to build her home, she and her seven-year-old son lived with her family. «It is so good to have my own space!», she exclaims. «Seven people were living in one house,» she continues. «We didn’t have much room. My son is so happy that we have our own house!»
Ofra says: «My sister also built her home with Habitat Guatemala. That’s how I learned about this opportunity! I am planning on building a patio area in front of my home as well.»
«The volunteers did good work!», Orfa concludes. «Thank you so much for supporting us in building our house! We are very grateful.»
The Zuninga family lives in the department of Sololá, Guatemala and recently partnered with Habitat for Humanity Guatemala to implement a smokeless stove, sanitary latrine, and water filter. Karina, who lives in this home, had taken her baby to the doctor, so her in-laws talked about their experience with the Habitat Guatemala volunteers!
«Before building the smokeless stove, Karina shared my stove.», explains Karina’s mother-in-law, Nicolasa. «We were cooking for 10 people on one stove so it is very helpful to have another stove now! We were also all sharing one latrine–so it is very beneficial to have another!
Nicolasa concludes with a message to the volunteers who spent time with her family: «Thank you for supporting my family! These changes benefit the children most of all.»
https://www.habitatguate.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/DSC_8871.jpg8571200adminhttps://www.habitatguate.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/logo-negro.pngadmin2018-06-13 10:42:252020-06-12 15:51:28Healthy Home Kit: The Zuninga Family
El 3 de junio de 2018, alrededor de las 12 pm, el volcán de Fuego (ubicado a 30 millas de la ciudad de Guatemala) estalló, arrojando cenizas, rocas y gases al aire. Esta erupción es considerada una de las más fuertes del volcán de Fuego en más de un siglo. Horas más tarde, una segunda erupción de gran alcance siguió a las 6:45 PM.
Tan pronto como sucedió el desastre, el personal de Hábitat para la Humanidad en Guatemala se puso en contacto con las familias asociadas, los miembros del comité local de voluntarios y otros colaboradores en el área. Se ha verificado que todas las familias asociadas y el personal se encuentren bien, sin embargo, muchos otros guatemaltecos han sido muy afectados. Se declaró una emergencia de alerta roja para los departamentos afectados de Chimaltenango, Escuintla y Sacatepéquez, y el gobierno puso en marcha una alerta naranja para los 19 departamentos restantes.
NÚMEROS ACTUALES
Número de personas fallecidas: 159
Número de lesiones: 27
Personas desaparecidas: 265
Número de personas afectadas: 1,714,387
Número de evacuados: 12,823
Número de personas en albergues temporales: 2,784
Número de Viviendas Destruidas: 186
Número de Viviendas en Riesgo: 750
Durante la Etapa 1, las oficinas y voluntarios locales de Hábitat Guatemala están recolectando medicamentos y suministros para los sobrevivientes.
$35: FILTROS DE AGUA
Las familias Las familias necesitarán agua limpia, al momento de regresar a sus hogares, por lo que se estima que se requerirán unos 1000 filtros de agua. Todos los filtros de agua son CERTIFICADOS.
$75: KITS DE EMERGENCIA
Los kits de emergencia están diseñados para ayudar a las familias a recuperar y rehabilitar sus hogares. Consisten en 2 palas, 10 metros de cuerda, 1 azadón, 10 mascarillas, 2 gafas de seguridad, y 1 carreta. Estos kits serán útiles a las familias que sus viviendas no se encuentran en sitios de riesgo.
$150: ESTUFAS CHISPA
La estufa Chispa, es una solución que permite que cada una de las familias tengan un lugar seguro en donde cocinar. Su diseño permite que el humo salga de la casa a través de una chimenea y es una solución a largo plazo para la familia.
$200: LETRINAS SANITARIAS
Cuando las familias comiencen a rehabilitar sus hogares, necesitarán servicios de saneamiento. Hábitat Guatemala ofrece un modelo de letrina sanitaria que trata de forma segura los residuos. La letrina tiene un tubo de ventilación para prevenir el mal olor y enfermedades, y sirve como una solución a largo plazo para una familia.
$8,000: HOGARES
Hábitat Guatemala se asociará con las familias que necesiten más allá de una reparación, para construirles casas nuevas. La casa consiste de 49 metros cuadrados y tiene un costo de $8,000, incluyen un baño, Estufa Mejorada y un Filtro Purificador de Agua. Hábitat Guatemala, únicamente construye en lugares fuera de riesgo.
Cuando Jennifer Brining llegó por primera vez a Guatemala para encabezar un viaje de Hábitat para la Humanidad en Aldea Global en 2015, pronto supo que regresaría una y otra vez. Ella comenzó a tomar clases de español en Antigua Guatemala con Álvaro Morales. “Ocasionalmente hablamos sobre nuestras vidas personales”, dice Jennifer. “Le hacía preguntas sobre su familia y viceversa. Fue durante estas charlas que supe de su familia tan especial”.
Álvaro y su esposa, Lucrecia viven en Jocotenango, Sacatepéquez, son padres de cuatro hijos adultos, tres de los cuales tienen necesidades especiales y usan sillas de ruedas a causa de la falta de motricidad por Ataxia cerebelosa. Cuando Jennifer supo que la familia vivía en una casa de dos pisos y que tenían que cargar a sus hijos para subir y bajar del segundo nivel, se inspiró en buscar opciones para construir un ascensor con energía solar en el hogar.
Desde el momento en que compartió con la familia Morales, Jennifer entendió cuánto afectaría de forma positiva el ascensor con energía solar a sus vidas. “Además de los beneficios físicos para toda la familia”, dice, “les ha dado a los jóvenes una independencia que nunca tuvieron “. Jennifer Brining.
Así dio inicio el proyecto especial, en donde se unió el corazón de una voluntaria Hábitat y la necesidad de una familia por mejorar su calidad de vida, junto con ellos Hábitat propuso realizar cambios en la casa de la familia para facilitar el acceso de las sillas de ruedas de los jóvenes y a la vez buscar un donante para poder conseguir un ascensor con paneles solares para minimizar el gasto de energía; así fue como se unión la empresa Tecún, quienes apoyaron para que el ascensor se pudiera armar en Alemania.
Don Álvaro trabaja dando Clases de Español en Antigua Guatemala y es allí donde conoce a uno de nuestros voluntarios quien le habla de Hábitat ya que Hábitat no solo se dedica a construcción en general sino también a mejorar las condiciones de vida de las familias guatemaltecas.
“Gracias a nuestros hijos hemos recibido las bendiciones más grandes, ellos han sido un canal para recibir la ayuda que tanto necesitábamos para darles una mejor calidad de vida”. Lucrecia Muñoz
De parte de la familia Muñoz y de nuestra organización agradecemos a los donantes y voluntarios que hicieron posible este proyecto, por su corazón generoso y por confiar en que a través de nosotros se puede llevar esperanza a familias de Guatemala.
Gracias a Jen Brining, Trina Godfreey, Thomas Hunsdorfer, Laura Niklin, Steph Franklin, Lori Walker, Elizabeth Boden, Paul Wackenhuth, Jerry Heymans, Nancy Powell, Deanna Heon.
https://www.habitatguate.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/FOTO-4.jpg12001800j.bailonhttps://www.habitatguate.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/logo-negro.pngj.bailon2018-06-11 12:51:252019-12-11 10:58:45Un proyecto especial para una familia única
«Three houses in our neighborhood were destroyed in an earthquake several years ago. Our old house was made of adobe so we were worried that we would not be safe in an earthquake.», says Jesus Rolando as he begins to explain why his family chose to build a house with Habitat for Humanity Guatemala.
There are five people in the Camey household, located near the municipality of Sololá: Jesus and Lidia, their two daughters, Karina and Sindy, and Karina’s son, five-year-old Angel. Karina works in the office of the judge in Santiago de Atitlán, another town in the region, and splits her time between there and her home. Her sister Sindy works in another region of Guatemala and comes home less often. Jesus, who is retired from the city government, and Lidia take care of Angel while his Karina is at work.
Jesus continues: «We feel very safe here. We had the house blessed by a priest. Now we have more space and everyone can decide what they want to do with their homes and how they want to arrange their furniture. And my daughter can have friends visit! We have plans for the house too. We would like to paint it, finish the bathroom, and add rain gutters .»
«It was a lovely experience to have the volunteers here.», concludes Jesus. «We enjoyed sharing our culture with them and they were very open. It is very admirable that they came here without being paid–they volunteered! They taught us a lot; they came from far away to help others. We loved being able to spend time with them and share meals and snacks.»
https://www.habitatguate.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/DSC_9329.jpg8571200adminhttps://www.habitatguate.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/logo-negro.pngadmin2018-06-11 11:27:092020-06-12 15:53:05The Camey Family
On June 3, 2018 around 12 PM the Fuego Volcano (located 30 miles from Guatemala City) erupted, spewing ash, rocks and gas into the air. This eruption is considered to be one of the strongest from the Fuego Volcano in more than a century. Hours later, a second powerful eruption followed at 6:45 PM.
As soon as the disaster happened, Habitat for Humanity Guatemala staff contacted partner families, local volunteer committee members, and others in the area. It was verified that all partner families and staff are well, but many other Guatemalans are affected. A Red Alert Emergency was declared for the affected departments of Chimaltenango, Escuintla, and Sacatepéquez and an Orange Alert for the remaining 19 departments was also put in place by the government.
CURRENT NUMBERS
Number of fatalities: 201
Number of injuries: 27
Missing persons: 229
Number of individuals affected: 1,714,387
Number of evacuees: 12,823
Number of individuals in temporary shelters: 8,866
During Stage 1, local Habitat Guatemala offices and volunteers collected medicine and supplies for survivors. In total we were able to attend 90 familieswith a kit consisting of dry goods, hygienic products, medicine, etc.
Out of the 12,000 individuals evacuated from their homes only an estimated 8,000 individuals sought shelter in the official government shelters, meaning that 4,000 individuals turned to family members or friends for a transitional space to live. In order to provide these families with a comfortable and adequate space, Habitat Guatemala determined that several Habitat products would help improve their living conditions. After surveying approximately 180 families who were living in such situations, products were distributed as follows:
WATER FILTERS
95% of the water in Guatemala is contaminated and this natural disaster only exacerbated the difficulty to obtain clean drinking water. To date Habitat Guatemala has delivered 62 water filters to host families in the areas of Escuintla and Alotenango.
CHISPA STOVES
Due to the presence of additional inhabitants in the host families’ homes, Habitat Guatemala deemed it necessary to provide additional tools to ease the preparation of meals. A Chispa stoves reduce wood use by approximately 50%, and also reduces smoke inhalation. To date Habitat Guatemala has delivered 48 Chispa stoves in the areas of Escuintla and Alotenango.
ECONOMIC VOUCHERS
Because many individuals lost their source of income/source of employment, Habitat Guatemala decided to provide both the host families and the affected families with a $75 voucher to support them with basic living expenses: food, hygienic products, rent, etc. To date Habitat Guatemala has delivered 268 economic vouchers in the areas of Escuintla and Alotenango.
MERCY CORPS SUPPORT
With the help of Mercy Corps, Habitat Guatemala was also able to distribute the following products: 15 water tanks, 11 pilas(outdoor washing stations), and 210 cooking sets (plates, silverware, pots & pans).
Currently, Habitat Guatemala is in the stage of reconstructing homes for families who lost everything in the natural disaster. Although Habitat for Humanity’s typical structure consists of families making affordable mortgage payments, this catastrophe has compelled us to provide affected families with completely subsidized solutions. You can support us in the following way:
$14,000: LAND TITLE & PERMANENT HOUSING
Because land ownership is a requirement for Habitat homeowners in Guatemala, we have supported affected families by purchasing lots in an area called Valle de Las Flores in Palin, Escuintla. This area includes access to all basic services (water, drainage, electricity) and schools, job employment opportunities, and public transportation. The homes that will be constructed in this area consist of 49 square meters, 3 rooms, and a bathroom.
On December 12th, 2018 the first 16 homes were inaugurated. With these homes, 16 families were able to spend the holidays in their safe new space, just six months after a tragedy that dramatically altered their lives.
The second set of 17 homes was inaugurated on April 11th. And the final set of 7 homes was inaugurated on June 27th. Providing more families with a safe space to start a new life. To support families as they transition into their new homes, we have provided different workshops on community harmony, financial education, and disaster response.
Habitat Guatemala is grateful for the support our response efforts have received, and we hope to continue providing additional families with permanent housing solutions as funding allows.
WATER FILTERS
