Martina lives in Sololá with her husband, José, their son, Gamaliel (8) and their parents-in-law. Thanks to the support of the HFH Pensacola, her family recently received a Habitat smokeless stove to cook in a healthier environment.

Martina says, “I feel happy, we had to share a stove with my mother-in-law, and it was deteriorating and let out a lot of smoke; now, we are doing very well with this new stove, each one has its own.” The family supports their livelihood by working in the home and in the fields.

When asked how she feels with her new stove, Martina responds, “Happy and satisfied to finally have a stove that works well! Now, our eyes feel better, no more irritation. And it consumes less wood too, we can save that money,” she continues, “I love to cook corn in all its forms, to make tortillas, grilled, atol, etc.”

To the volunteers, Martina would like to express, “Thank you for coming to build our stove! We are happy with it and keep using it.”

Virginia, her husband, Soltero, and their seven children, Milton (22), Gerson (20), Kevin (17), Adelson (13), Paula (11), Salomón (10), and Lilian (4) in San Lucas Tolimán, Sololá. . While Soltero works in the fields, Virginia is a homemaker.

Before partnering with Habitat Guatemala to receive the family’s sanitary latrine, the family had been using a toilet given to them by the government. The problem is that the community where they live does not have constant running water; they receive water every four days. Causing the family to suffer from various health issues. Virgina explains, “When I found out about this project, I explained to my husband that it was a good opportunity to participate, because the latrine does not need much water and it would help us a lot.” She continues, “I feel happy with it! It has helped us improve as a family, we feel more comfortable.”

Virginia finishes by sharing a message to the volunteers; “Thank you for your support! We send our greetings and love to all of you. I feel happy because you came to visit us.”

Manuela lives with her husband, Eugenio, and their four children, Milton (18), Evelyn (13), Tomás (10), and Lizardo (3) in San Lucas Tolimán, Sololá.  While Eugenio works in the fields, Manuela is a homemaker.

Manuela found out about Habitat Guatemala’s sanitary latrines project through a local committee member, who explained the process to them. Before partnering with Habitat Guatemala to receive the family’s sanitary latrine, the family had been using a toilet given to them by the government. The problem is that the community where they live does not have constant running water; They receive water every four days. Therefore the family cannot use the bathroom very often. Manuela explains, “Because we do not have water all the time, it was very complicated to use the old toilet. But, thank God we found out about this project. Now, we feel happy and more comfortable with the new latrine.”

Manuela finishes by sharing a message to the volunteers, “Thank you all for your support. We felt really happy when you came. Thank you for supporting families like ours.”