Blog – Página 162 – Hábitat para la Humanidad Guatemala

Huertos Familiares y Comunitarios

15 abril, 2014/en Familias /por Hábitat Guatemala

Hace un año Luis Muñoz y Viviana Muñoz, voluntarios de América Solidaria, dieron inicio con muchas expectativas e ilusión, al proyectos de Huertos Familiares y Comunitarios de Autoconsumo en la aldea de Macalajau, Municipio de Uspantán, Quiché. Con la asesoría técnica y el apoyo de las organizaciones CIASPE de México y FOSIS de Chile, se comenzó el diagnóstico psicosocial de las familias de Macalajau, lo que permitió involucrar a las familias y crear lazos con la comunidad.

De las 89 familias que constituyen la comunidad de Macalajau, 62 se involucraron en el proyecto, las cuales aprendieron e implementaron el sistema de recolección de agua, aplicaron nuevas técnicas de cultivo, construyeron cercas, fabricaron zonas de abono, construyeron invernaderos, así como lombriceras y composteras. Todo esto con el apoyo y supervisión de los voluntarios de América Solidaria, el soporte técnico de CIASPE y FOSIS, y personal de Hábitat Guatemala.

Los resultados del proyecto han sido tan exitosos, que este año ya se está replicando el proyecto con el apoyo de más voluntarios de América Solidaria, en la aldea de Canaque, San Marcos.

El pasado 7 de abril se llevó a cabo la clausura de la primera fase del proyecto, esta inició con la celebración del Primer Foro Público Internacional «Tierra y Sustentabilidad», el cual se llevó a cabo en el Gimnasio Municipal de San Miguel Uspantán, y contó con las disertaciones de María Consuelo Romano y Luis Muñoz Cabrera de América Solidaria, Martha Elizabeth Dubon de Fe y Alegría, Gabriela Lucas de CIASPE y Luis Estrada de IDESAC.

La ceremonia de cierre se realizó en la aldea de Macalajau y contó con la presencia de autoridades de América Solidaria, FOSIS, CIASPE, Fundación Fe y Alegría de Honduras, Hábitat para la Humanidad Guatemala, Representantes de Municipales de San Miguel Uspantán, representantes de la Embajada de Chile en Guatemala y las familias que han trabajado en los huertos.

Con las emotivas palabras de Fernando Felipe López Camajá, representante de Hábitat Guatemala y guía de los voluntarios en la aldea Macalajau, se inició la ceremonia, agradeciendo el trabajo de los voluntarios Luis Muñoz y Viviana Muñoz, así como a las instituciones involucradas y a las familias beneficiadas. También se presentaron solicitudes por parte de los representantes de la comunidad de Macalajau, para solicitar apoyo a las instituciones presentes. Para terminar, las familias se hicieron presentes con canastas llenas de verduras, como muestra de agradecimiento a los representantes de las distintas comunidades.

El proyecto no ha concluido, actualmente las nuevas voluntarias se encuentran en una nueva fase, la cual incluye el seguimiento para apoyar a la familias a que aprovechen todos los nutrientes que pueden encontrar en las verduras que se cultivan en sus huertos. También la comunidad de Arena Blanca, en Honduras, inician la primera fase del proyecto de huertos, aprovechando todos los conocimientos obtenidos en Macalajau.

Gracias a América Solidaria, CIASPE y FOSIS, por apoyarnos a construir más que casas.

The Sebastiana de León

4 abril, 2014/en News /por profiles

Sebastiana de Le’on lives with her son Luis, a teacher, and his three children outside of Santa Cruz, Quiché. Although Sebastiana was on vacation when her home was visited, Luis proudly gave us a tour of their new Habitat home.

Previously this family lived in a house made of walls of adobe bricks, a ceiling of tiles, and a floor of dirt. Luis explained that this home left them scared during earthquakes that occur on a regular basis, “Before we lived in fear, but now we feel more secure each time we feel the earth shake beneath us.”

After only 20 days of hard work provided by local masons, this family has a new home with three rooms. Two of these rooms are used as bedrooms while the other is a living room where Luis keeps all of his books and other teaching materials.

Luis explains that his family has been affected by the war and may never fully recover, but they are hopeful now that they are in their new home. “Now, we feel content. We can finally move forward.”

The Guadalupe Ardon Family

4 abril, 2014/en News /por profiles

For many years, Guadalupe lived with her large family in a small house in Tecpán, Chimaltenango that was destroyed by Hurricane Stan in 2005. An aid organization gave them a temporary home built on a different site near a river, and the family of fifteen stayed for several years. In 2010, they were in the process of building a more permanent home nearby, when Tropical Storm Agatha struck.

Guadalupe says, “I never thought it was possible for the river to get to the height it did. We left our home running and did not have time to save anything. We spent the night at an institution close by and when we returned, it was like a lake inside our house. Everything was destroyed.” Their temporary home was destroyed and all their personal items lost. The family spent the next four months living at a school. Habitat found the family, and they immediately qualified for two separate new homes under our Disaster Response program.

Guadalupe Ardon Cua Guadalupe’s new Habitat home that she shares with her five children has two bedrooms and there is a separate kitchen outside. She feels confident that the new home will be just fine during storms. When we caught up with Guadalupe in the new house, she had this to say, “We felt so glad to find out that Habitat was going to help us build a house. Thanks to the [donors], we have our own, safe home. I am very happy with our new home. It is so secure and that makes me happy.”

The Eulalia Josefina Lopez Silvestre Family

4 abril, 2014/en News /por profiles

«It burned the tortillas,» said Eulalia. Her old, basic, open-fire stove was very low to the ground and in such a bad state that she rarely used it. But that changed with the arrival of a smokeless stove from Habitat for Humanity.

Eulalia Josefina Lopez Silvestre lives in the canton of San Sebastian, Jacaltenango with her husband Javier, a local farmer, and three children, Irene (15), Rommel (12) and Ever (10). The family lives in a three room house, with walls made from a mix of cinder block, wood and tin sheets. The three children are all currently studying at school with Irene, the eldest, starting high school in the coming year.

Eulalia Josefina Lopez Silvestre-4
Eulalia experienced back problems and a sore throat stemming from the use of the old stove. Furthermore due to her leaking roof, water would always fall into the fire, reducing its heat and increasing the smoke released.

Eulalia is a stay at home mother, but with her new stove she thinks she “will start selling tortillas, because the stove is very big.” Furthermore due to its design she said “I want to start making bread, something I couldn’t do previously.”

With obvious pride for her “very beautiful” stove Eulalia thanks Habitat, “I never have the capacity to make a stove like this, it will help my family and I tremendously.”

The Cruz Guarcas Coc Family

4 abril, 2014/en News /por profiles

Homeowner Cruz Guarcas Coc is a proud recipient of a British Berkefeld water filter by Habitat. She is very excited about the changes that have been made to her life because of her new water filter.

Before owning her water filter she drank from her pila (sink) which often left her sick, but now because of her filter and other Habitat products she believes, “Everything has changed for the better because of my access to drink clean water every day.”

Roughly 25% of Guatemalans don’t have acess to clean drinking water, which often carry water-borne diseases that can cause acute diarrhea among other problems. Providing water filters like these is one way Habitat Guatemala works to reduce health risks.

The Susana Lopez Family

4 abril, 2014/en News /por profiles

Susana (35) and her husband Otto (40) of San Rafael de las Flores are proud new owners of a sanitary latrine. Efico-100 Otto supports his family as a day labourer, working on various surrounding plantations during times of harvest. Susana and Otto live with their four children: Suseli (16), Marlo (15), Jamie (9), and Alexi (2).

Their new latrine was constructed in late 2013 by Otto himself. It provides the family with more privacy, dignity, and hygiene. Susana, Otto, and their family are grateful for these iprovements in their lives.

In July of 2014 a deadly 6.9 magnitude earthquake shook the department of San Marcos. Despite its magnitude, their Habitat-designed latrine survived the quake. Because the members of San Rafael were involved in building their latrines, they understand how to care for and maintain their new home improvements.

Latest News

Huertos Familiares y Comunitarios

The Sebastiana de León

The Guadalupe Ardon Family

The Eulalia Josefina Lopez Silvestre Family

The Cruz Guarcas Coc Family

The Susana Lopez Family

Oficina Nacional Quetzaltenango

Oficina Nacional Ciudad Capital