Carlos and Clementina Juarcax’s primary motivation to build a new home was for their three children: Carina, Elvis, and Eddi. When they learned about the low-interest loan that Habitat for Humanity Guatemala offers families, they knew that this was a way to make their dream a reality. In order to qualify for a Habitat Guatemala home, families have to be able to make monthly mortgage payments. Carlos works selling food and refreshments, so the family was able to make this commitment.

When the couple talks about their new home, their joy is obvious. “Before we all shared one bedroom,” Carlos explains. “Now, the boys share a room and Carina has her own room. They were so excited! She was especially excited to have her own room–they even picked them out while the house was under construction!”

“We moved into the house on September 28th,” he continues. “And we’ve worked hard to save and buy new furniture for our children, such as this couch.” Clementina jumps in and talks about how much she enjoys the style of the house. “It’s different than the other houses around here,” she says. “When people come over they always compliment our house, and we love it too! We are so proud and happy to be here.”

Carlos also has a message he would like to share with the volunteers who spent a week helping build their home: “Thank you so much for the help you gave us! We are so happy to live in our own house. May God bless you always!”

María Guarcax lives in Sololá, with her husband Sirilo Meletz, and their children. Sirilio works as a baker and the rest of the family work in the fields near their home: planting, caring for, and harvesting crops.

Before learning about Habitat for Humanity Guatemala through a neighbor, María had to cook for her family on the floor of the kitchen. “Cooking was so difficult before,” she shares. “Our new stove does a much better job of cooking beans.” Besides making her life easier, the smokeless stove also funnels smoke out of the kitchen so the family no longer deals with irritated throats and eyes while cooking.

The family remembers the day the volunteers came as being a very good day. “May your lives be blessed,” Sirilo says. “Thank you for coming to help my family.”

Juana Paulina lives in a community in Sololá, with her son, Oliver, and her husband Francisco. Juana takes care of Oliver full time while Francisco works in agriculture.

When she learned about the opportunity to build a smokeless stove with Habitat for Humanity Guatemala, she knew immediately it was something she wanted to do for her family. “Before my new stove, I cooked on the floor of my kitchen and I was always worried that Oliver would fall into the fire,” Juana says.

Now, Oliver is much safer and Juana can cook without the fear of Oliver or one of his friends burning themselves. Additionally, she no longer suffers from headaches and eye irritation from cooking over an open flame. The family is also able to save money because they now use half the amount of wood for cooking. “One big bundle of wood used to last twenty-five days,” Juana explains. “Now it lasts for two months. It’s good to have a little more money because there are always expenses.”

Juana also remembers that Oliver loved playing with the volunteers and said it was fun to have them for the day. She sends her thanks from Guatemala!

Micael Bixcul lives in a village in Sololá, with her three children.  Her sons are twenty-two and twenty, and her daughter is seventeen. Before building their home by partnering with Habitat for Humanity Guatemala, they had lived with Micael’s parents for fifteen years. The family owns a bakery where she and her sons work while her daughter works for a business in a nearby town.

Micael’s brother learned about the low-interest loan that Habitat Guatemala offers and shared the information with his sister. “When I learned that I might qualify for a loan with Habitat, I decided to apply. I was approved fifteen days later and the process to build our house began,” says Micael. Just forty-five days after building began, her home was completed.

Micael built her home on land that her parents gave her. In Guatemala, it’s common for parents to divide up their land for their children, and many people raise their own families on this land.

Since moving into their new home, her family’s life has changed for the better, Micael shares. “We have more privacy now, more space,” she explains. “My sons have their own room and my daughter and I have our own room. We enjoy exploring the area around our home and my sons use the yard to play soccer.”

She has plans to keep improving her house, too. A false ceiling, a wall around their property, and a covered patio are the first projects Micael would like to complete.

When Micael talks about the volunteers who spent a week working on her home, she remembers that they assisted by transporting the materials to the building site–her house is set back from the road–and she has a message to share, too. “The volunteers were wonderful! We are very happy and will always appreciate their support.”