Cinthia lives with her husband Edvin, their two children, Luis (7) and Fabiola (2) and her sister, Edith (16), in their new Habitat home in Barrio Villa Hermosa, San Benito Petén. Edvin works in a sawmill, while Cinthia works doing odd jobs, such as cleaning homes & washing clothes.

Before partnering with Habitat Guatemala, the family rented a house for over four years. They were paying a considerable amount without any chance of owning the house in the future. Their prime motivation to build a new home was for the family to have their own space, “We learned about Habitat through an uncle and a local committee member,” says Cinthia.

She explains that after they learned about Habitat and had an opportunity to discuss it, they finally decided to invest in a home. The family wanted more space, “My husband was not 100% convinced, but after several talks I convinced him!” explains Cinthia.

When asked how they feel about their new home, Cinthia smiles, and responds, ”I feel great! With our own home. We are able to do what we want.” In the future, the family is planning to add tiles to the floor, and add an extra room. As a family, they enjoy spending time together. “We make popcorn and go outside to play with the kids and chill in the hammock,” says Cinthia.

When asked about the week of construction with the volunteers, she answers, “It was a great week. We always think about the volunteers and look at the pictures they left us.”

“Thank you all for this awesome experience. We will always remember you. Thank you for your support.” – Cinthia de Enríquez.

William is now living in his new Habitat home in Valle de las Flores Habitat Housing Community in Escuintla. He was hired by Habitat to temporarily serve as the security guard and manager of the construction materials warehouse.

He is one of the 41 families who received a fully subsidized Habitat home through the Fuego Volcano Disaster Response project. The families who have benefited from the project are from the communities of San Miguel los Lotes, Los Barrios and El Rodeo. The Fuego Volcano eruption affected over 1.7 million Guatemalans, leaving many dead and missing, and thousands seeking refuge in temporary shelters.

Following the tragedy, where he lost his parents, sister, two nephews and his youngest son, William spent two months in the hospital with his oldest son, who suffered severe burns to his feet and hands. Later, they moved to a shelter for a period of time. After several tries, the Habitat Staff found him and informed him of the project.

Nine months have passed since William moved into his home in Valle de las Flores. When asked how he feels about his new home, he says, ”I feel content. I never imagined that I would receive a house. It is of big blessing.” He continues, “On a level side my life has changed and I feel good. On a personal level, I still miss all of my relatives.”

William enjoys every space of the house, but the weather is his favorite part! He has many memories of the construction process, and the volunteers and donors that helped them; “At first it was a little hard for me to adapt, but I learned fast. Now I know how to do a little bit of everything. It was a very good experience to share with everybody.”

To the donors and volunteers William says, “Thank you for all for your support. May God repay. May you receive many blessings.”

Floridalma and her husband, Andersson, are now living in their new Habitat home in Valle de las Flores Habitat Housing Community in Escuintla.

They are one of the 41 families who received a fully subsidized Habitat home through the Fuego Volcano Disaster Response project. The families who have benefited from the project are from the communities of San Miguel Los Lotes, Los Barrios and El Rodeo. The Fuego Volcano eruption affected over 1.7 million Guatemalans, leaving many dead and missing, and thousands seeking refuge in temporary shelters.

Following the tragedy, where they lost everything, the family lived in Amatitlán with relatives before learning about Habitat’s programs. After a few months, they starting to build a new home for themselves.

When asked how she feels with her new home, Floridalma answers, “We feel happy! We were not expecting to receive this house. In the future, we would like to add tiles to the floor and a garden to live in harmony as a family.”

She finishes with a message to all of the donors and volunteers: “Thank you all for your support. We are very grateful to you! We feel very happy and blessed.”