Latest News
My latest ramblings.
Enjoy! I definitely got important things to say
My latest ramblings.
Enjoy! I definitely got important things to say

Vilma, her husband, José Luis and their three children, Alfredo, Yordy and baby Stephany are the owners of a new Hybrid House in the community of Chuatzam, Santa Lucía Utatlán, Sololá. José Luis works in the fields, while Vilma stays home taking care of the children.
Our new Hybrid House solution is a two-room home built with a mix of traditional materials: adobe blocks, cement blocks, and wood. This solution is partially subsidized which means that beneficiary families are asked to contribute towards the cost of materials and provide labor such as preparing adobe blocks, among other tasks.


Before partnering with Home for a Home and Habitat Guatemala, Vilma’s family used to live in a small house built out of corrugated metal sheets and wood with ground floor. “That room belonged to my sister, we did not have a house. It was a dream of ours to build or have our proper home., My children got sick during rainy season, because the water leaked in and it was very cold.” – mentions Vilma.
When asked how she feels about their new home, Vilma answers, “Happy, we are happy and grateful. Now, we are living better, no more water or cold inside our house. My children are safe and have an adequate place to stay play.”


In the future, the family will would like to paint the house with bright colors!
As part of the Hybrid House Programs, families also receive a water filter, latrine and a smokeless stove. This helps them improve their health by giving them adequate access to proper sanitation and a smoke-free environment. Santa used to cook on an open flame on the floor, causing the smoke to stay inside their house. “The water filter has been of great help; we no longer have to buy or boil water! The stove saves wood and heats up fast. And the latrine is very comfortable, » says Vilma.
Vilma finishes by sharing a message with the donors, “Receive our greetings and gratitude. Thank you for your support and providing us with this house. May God provide and give it back to you! Now, my children have a safe space to grow up.”



Sulma (21), her husband and their two children, Jeffrey (5) and Jessica (1), are the owners of a new Hybrid House in the community of Aldea Panyebar, San Juan la Laguna, Sololá. Sulma’s husband works in the fields, while she stays home taking care of the children.
Our new Hybrid House solution is a two-room home built with a mix of traditional materials: adobe blocks, cement blocks, and wood. This solution is partially subsidized which means that beneficiary families are asked to contribute towards the cost of materials and provide labor such as preparing adobe blocks, among other tasks.

Before partnering with Home for a Home and Habitat Guatemala, Sulma’s family used to live in a small house built out of corrugated metal sheets and wood with ground floor. “When it rained the water licked leaked in and I was afraid of my children getting sick.” – mentions Sulma
When asked how she feels about their new home, Sulma answers, “I feel happy and grateful for this house! My family and I are very content. Thanks to God, we received this gift and it was a surprise!”

As part of the Hybrid House Programs, families also receive a water filter, latrine and a smokeless stove. This helps them improve their health by giving them adequate access to proper sanitation and a smoke-free environment. Sulma used to cook on an open flame on the floor, causing the smoke to stay inside their house. “I used to cook on the floor, my new stove is working great, we are saving wood! And our water filter is providing us with safe drinking water, especially for my children.» says Sulma.
Sulma finishes by sharing a message with the donors, “May all of you receive our sincere gratitude. May God bless you, for giving us this gift.”

Lucas, su esposa, Mercedes y sus 8 hijos, Gladys, Claraluz, Giovanni, Mynor, Lucrecia y Lucas, Rosibel y Marvin son los dueños de una Casa Híbrida en la comunidad de Chipó, San Lucas Antonio Palopó, Sololá. Lucas se dedica a la agricultura, mientras Mercedes vende diferentes hierbas en el mercado.
La familia solía vivir en una habitación construida de adobe, madera y pisos de tierra. “El techo también estaba en malas condiciones. Cuando llovía el agua se filtraba y teníamos que buscar cosas para tapar a los niños porque se iban a enfermar”, dice Mercedes.
La vivienda Híbrida es una vivienda de dos habitaciones construida con una mezcla de materiales tradicionales: bloques de adobe, bloques de cemento y madera. Esta solución está parcialmente subsidiada.

Como parte del Programa de Viviendas Híbridas, las familias también
reciben una Letrina, un Filtro para Purificar Agua y una Estufa mejorada, estos productos mejoran su salud brindándoles acceso a un saneamiento adecuado y un ambiente libre de humo. Mercedes nos comenta como solía cocinar: “Yo cocinaba en el piso, el humo me daba dolores de cabeza y enrojecimiento de los ojos. Ahora, es completamente diferente con mi nueva estufa. Ya no tengo que estar de rodillas para cocinar. Cocinamos con menos leña y el humo sale de la casa”, nos indica Mercedes.
Anteriormente, la familia no tenía letrina y tenía que ir al bosque. Ahora, que tienen un lugar seguro e higiénico para sus necesidades básicas. Tanto Lucas como Mercedes terminan compartiendo un mensaje con los donantes, “¡Muchas gracias! Estamos muy contentos con nuestra casa, nuestros hijos tienen suficiente espacio para dormir y todos dormimos tranquilos, nos sentimos muy felices y agradecidos. Ahora, el agua ya no gotea cuando llueve y ya no tenemos miedo de la lluvia y el frío”. 
Durante septiembre nos hemos unido a la celebración del Bicentenario de la Independencia de Guatemala, la cual la conmemoramos con la entrega 26 viviendas en los departamentos de:
Alta Verapaz, Baja Verapaz, Chimaltenango, Chiquimula, Guatemala, Huehuetenango, Izabal, Jalapa, Jutiapa, Petén, El Progreso, Quetzaltenango, Quiché, Retalhuleu, San Marcos, Santa Rosa, Sololá, Suchitepéquez, Santa Rosa y Zacapa.
Agradecemos profundamente a los Voluntarios de Comités locales y a las familias que siguen confiando en que juntos podemos construir un mejor país.

María es madre de cinco hijos, Marco, Magda, Modesto, Alex y Marisol que viven en la comunidad de Chelam, San Sebastián, Departamento de Huehuetenango.

María nos comenta que solía cocinar a fuego abierto, por lo que consumía mucha leña y el humo afectaba la salud de toda la familia. También, nos explica que su vivienda era una habitación hecha de adobe, piso de tierra y un techo de lámina que tenía varias goteras, y lo único que los separaba de la cocina era un nylon.
Gracias a la alianza con Home for a Home, la familia Gregorio recibió una habitación adecuada para descansar, una Estufa Mejorada y una Letrina, que les brinda un saneamiento adecuado y un ambiente libre de humo.

“Nuestras condiciones de vida son muy distintas ahora, ya no sentimos frío y la lluvia ya no gotea en nuestra habitación, además usamos menos leña, y se pueden cocinar varias cosas al mismo tiempo, no tenemos humo adentro y nos sentimos seguros y cómodos con nuestra nueva letrina” comenta doña María.


On September 7th, the second International Day for Clean Air was held, with a focus on healthy air and highlighting the negative impacts of air pollution on our health. In Guatemala, 86% of the population use firewood or charcoal as means for cooking in their homes, increasing the rates of indoor air pollution and the risk for burns and other health concerns such as respiratory illnesses (Ministerio de Salud Pública y Asistencia Social -MSPAS-, 2012). In 2010, indoor air pollution was the second leading cause of years of life lost due to ill health, in addition to being a high contributor to outdoor pollution (Pan American Health Organization -PAHO-, 2016). Household air pollution, disproportionately affects the health of women and children, who spend most of their time inside their homes.
To account these issues, Habitat for Humanity Guatemala designed a smokeless stove to eliminate diseases caused by indoor smoke and reduce the risk of burns caused by cooking over an open flame. The design takes into consideration cultural, social, environmental, and spatial aspects that fit the needs of the families. Since 2010, Habitat Guatemala has worked with families to build more than 43,700 smokeless stoves all over the country, benefiting about 262,000 individuals.

This year Habitat Guatemala , in partnership with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and families in 12 communities of Quiché, Totonicapán and San Marcos, implemented a project to build 2,500 smokeless stoves and deliver Healthy Homes, Disaster Reduction, and Nutrition capacity building activities to families.. The project aims to benefit more than 9,000 individuals by the end of the year!

There is still work to do, but with your contribution, we are able to reach more families in Guatemala and positively impact their health and quality of life.
Sources:
Ministerio de Salud Pública y Asistencia Social. (2012, March). Diagnóstico nacional de salud. https://www.mspas.gob.gt/images/files/cuentasnacionales/publicaciones/11MSPAS(2012)Diagnostico-Salud-marzo.pdf
Pan American Health Organization. (2016, March 9). Household air pollution – Guatemala country profile. https://www.paho.org/en/documents/household-air-pollution-guatemala-country-profile
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