María Candelaria (49), her husband Francisco (54) and their five children, Luis (19), Juana (18), Viviana (15), Adriana (12), and Rosmery (9) have a daily ritual. Together, they will congregate in the kitchen to prepare three meals for their family. For a long while, María says, their cooking equipment was far from ideal. “We used to cook on the floor over an open flame,” she explains.

She cites that the way she cooked before caused many health problems for her family. “Because of the smoke, we were suffering from lung infections, and we always burned ourselves.”

Since Habitat Guatemala volunteers built her new stove, María is thrilled with the results. Excitedly, she explains that, “Now, it is completely different! Our new stove heats our house, do not use many pieces of wood, and most important the smoke goes directly outside my kitchen, I feel very happy”.

A new stove is not the only thing María have benefited from. As part of Habitat Guatemala’s Healthy Home Kit Program, they were also latrine and water filter recipients. María cites that the new latrine is a great improvement. “Our old latrine was in poor conditions, now we have our own privacy, the kids can go by themselves and it is much more comfortable“, she says.

As for water? Since switching to a water filter, María has noticed that her family’s health has measuredly improved. Before, all five of them suffered from daily stomach problems, mainly to using a tinaja, or a large earthenware jug that is commonly used to store liquids in rural areas of Guatemala. María also doesn’t have to boil water anymore and is happy with the facility of using a filter.

When asked about the group that came to build the stove and latrine, María smiles and shares: “I was amazed to see how hard they worked, they share with us their food and were very fun to spend time with! We thank you so much for your support. Tiox! May God bless you and your families for the support that you gave us”.

A new stove is not the only thing Anabela have benefited from. As part of Habitat Guatemala´s Healthy Home Kit Program, they were also latrine and water filter recipients. Anablea cites that the new latrine is a great improvement. “Our old latrine was made of bamboo rods. It didn’t offer a lot of privacy and was farther away from the house,” she says. “The new one is made well. It’s dry, easy to use. There aren’t any problems with smell or with sturdiness.”

As for water? Since switching to a water filter, Anabela has noticed that her family’s health has measuredly improved. Before, all five of them suffered from daily stomach problems, mainly to using a tinaja, or a large earthenware jug that is commonly used to store liquids in rural areas of Guatemala. Anabela also doesn’t have to boil water anymore and is happy with the facility of using a filter.

When asked about the group that came to build the stove and latrine, Anabela face brightens. “We thank you so much for your support. We hope that you continue to help serve families like ours. Thank you.”