In the community of Pulay, Chajul, Quiché, lives the family of Catalina Raymundo. Catalina, her husband Andrés, and their two children have lived in this community for a long time. Andrés works as a taxi driver while Catalina takes care of the children and their home.  

Thanks to the support of Catholic Relief Services, Catalina was a beneficiary from the CLD Project, where Habitat Guatemala is providing assistance to over 500 families in different rural communities with a U’k’ux’já Smokeless Stove. This is a specially designed stove to reduce indoor smoke and protect the environment as it saves on wood consumption. Prior to receiving a new stove, Catalina used to cook…. Catalina used to cook for her family on the floor of her home. “Before my new stove, I was always worried that my children would fall into the fire on the floor”, Catalina says.

Now, the children are much safer. 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. Catalina says. “Thanks to God, we feel very happy. We could not be able to afford this type of stove. It’s good to have a little more money because there are always expenses”.  

As part of this project, families also benefited from a water filter. Now, rather than buying or boiling water, the kids can drink directly from the filter. This improves the health of the family as they no longer need to worry about falling ill from waterborne diseases. Catalina finishes by sending a final message to the donors: “Please receive my greetings and our deepest gratitude for your support. We thank you for this stove and the water filter. It has been of great improvement for our family”.