Seferino lives with his wife Aracely and their eight children: Astrid (16), Gerson (14), Heydi (11), Fatima (10), Karla (9), Jorge (6), Jayro (4) and baby Melanie (1), in a small community in Sololá. While Seferino works in agriculture, Aracely owns a tortilla shop, leaving Astrid, their eldest daughter, to help take care of the younger children.

As part of our Healthy Home Kit, families receive a smokeless stove, a sanitary latrine and a water filter, these products help them improve their health by giving them adequate access to proper sanitation, potable water and a smoke-free environment.

Seferino shares how implementing a smokeless stove has improved aspects of their family’s daily life: “My wife used to cook on an old stove for more than ten years that consumed a lot of wood and was old too,” he continues; “ We can see the difference now, because there is no more smoke inside our kitchen, and we no longer use a lot wood, just a few pieces.”

When asked how they feel with their new stove, he answers, “We feel very content! The old stove was very tall, the new one is a little shorter, so we sit around it, it keeps us warm and it has enough space to cook all our meals at the same time.”

We also visited Aracely in her tortilla shop and asked how she feels with their products: “I feel happy! it was of big help for my family to receive the products.”

Previously, Seferino and his family had an old latrine that was in poor conditions. “Our new latrine is better, my children can use it without any problems.”

Regarding their water filter, Seferino explains that they used to drink water directly from the sink and save it in pots, but it became more contaminated. “Sometimes we boiled the water, yes our children used to get diarrhea but we used to give them different traditional medicines to make them feel better, he continues “now our health has improved a lot, our children are no longer sick, all of them take their water bottles to school.”

He finishes by sharing memories about the day of construction and with a message to the volunteers; “It was a very fun day, they came with joy and played with my children!” he continues, “May God bless you all and your families, we are grateful for your support. We always get really happy when we receive visits here!” Aracely adds: “Thank you all, may your lives be filled with blessings.”

Rosalía lives with her three children, Jackelyn (8) Jennifer (6), Jorge (2) and her aunt’s family in a small community in Chimaltenango. Rosalía’s husband has recently died, and she weaves traditional women clothes to make a living and support her children.

Before receiving her smokeless stove, Rosalía used to cook on an old stove that was in bad conditions and did not permit the smoke to go outside the kitchen, causing her and her children respiratory diseases.

Rosalía’s reality has change a lot since her stove was built, “I feel  content with it, now I do not need to buy wood so often because I only use two pieces or less to cook all my food.”

She finishes with a message to the volunteers: “Thank you all for your support in building my stove, may God bless you.”

In a small community in Sololá, Doña Rosalia lives with her brother-in-law Nazario and her son Cristobal. Her husband, Francisco, passed away ten years ago. Doña Rosalía takes care of the home and her aging brother-in-law, while Cristobal works in Guatemala city to support the family.

Before partnering with Habitat Guatemala to receive her smokeless stove, María used to cook on an old stove that was over 20 years old and was in bad condition; causing smoke to be inside her kitchen, irritation in her eyes and respiratory diseases.

When asked how she feels with her new stove, Rosalía responds: “I feel very happy Maltiox (thank you)!

Rosalía has good memories of the time shared with the volunteers, “It was a very fun day, we shared lunch together,” she continues; “Maltiox and Maltiox to everyone for their support.”