Meet our families – Page 39 – Hábitat para la Humanidad Guatemala

Smokeless Stove: María Mutzutz

16 May, 2019/in Meet our families, News /by admin

María lives with her husband Raymundo and their seven children, José (19), María (17), María Mercedes (15), Dany (12), María Guadalupe (11), Brian (5) and Marvin (2) in a small community in Chimaltenango. While María is a homemaker, Raymundo works in the fields and the older kids go to school.

Before receiving her smokeless stove, María used to cook over an open flame that caused her several respiratory diseases and eye irritation. “The smoke was very dense and it made me suffer a lot,” she says.

María’s reality has change a lot since her stove was built; “I feel happy with it!! It is working great and no more smoke. It is big, I can prepare my tortillas and the rest of the meals at the same time, she continues; “it also saves a lot of wood, I do not need to buy a lot now.”

When asked about the day of construction, María says: “We had a good day! They had lunch here with us,” she continues; “May God bless all the volunteers that keep on helping us, I am very grateful for my stove.”

Smokeless Stove: Silvia Chocón

16 May, 2019/in Meet our families, News /by admin

Silvia lives with her husband Edwin and their son Darwin (5) in a small community in Chimaltenango. Edwin works in the fields and Silvia takes good care of Darwin and the house chores.

Before receiving her smokeless stove, Silvia used to cook over an open flame, that made it uncomfortable for her.

Now, with her new stove she says: “The new stove has helped me a lot, it is safer. There is no more smoke inside,” she continues, “and most important, it saves wood and gives me enough time to cook all my meals at the same time.”

Silvia still remembers the day that the volunteers came to build her stove, “It was a fun day! They were really nice” she continues, “Thank you for your support, I encourage you to keep on helping all the families in need.”

Smokeless Stove: Blanca Ixlá

16 May, 2019/in Meet our families, News /by admin

Doña Blanca lives with her husband Cesar and their four children, Kimberly (13), Cesar (11), Luis (8) and Jennifer (6) in a small community in Chimaltenango. While Cesar works in the fields, Blanca takes care of the children and the house.

Before receiving her smokeless stove, Blanca used to cook over an open flame “pollo”. The smoke caused her to have red eyes and respiratory diseases.

When asked how she feels with her new stove, Blanca responds: “I feel happy with my stove! It is also our table, all the family gathers around to eat now and it is working great.”

Blanca and her family have good memories of the time shared with the volunteers, “We were really happy that day, they built our stove and had lunch with us,” she continues; “I am grateful to all of you for your support.”

De León López Family

14 May, 2019/in Meet our families, News /by admin

Melvin, Edith and their two children, Daniela (8) and David (4) are living in their new Habitat house in the department of Quetzaltenango. Before partnering with Habitat Guatemala, Melvin, who works as a mechanic and his family lived in a small room with his mother for ten years.

They learned about Habitat Guatemala at a local hardware store that promotes our work. After thinking about it a lot, they decided it was a great opportunity to finally have a house of their own. “Now we have much more space to play with my children, and they enjoy it a lot,” explains Edith.

The de León family is planning to add a second storage and a garden to their house in their future, “I feel really happy, cause now we know this house is ours.” refers Edith.

Edith treasures all the good times they spent with the volunteers, “I am really grateful for their support and friendship, they shared memories with my children in a very special way.”

Gricelda Solis Family

14 May, 2019/in Meet our families, News /by admin

Gricelda Anabella and her husband Klismus came across Habitat at the recommendation of a neighbor. Now they live in their own home with their two children, Gerardo Gabriel (6) and Dailey (4). Klismus is a security guard while Gricelda is a homemaker.

Gricelda and her family rented one-bedroom within another family’s home, where they lived together. When her neighbor mentioned Habitat, the family moved to live with her brother so they could save for a portion of land. With the help of Habitat, they have now built their own home.

When asked, how she feels having her own house, Gricelda smiles and says, “We feel good, we feel happy to have our own space.” Gricelda even has room for her sewing machine, where she sews clothes including a dress and an apron. Having a home has definitely changed their lives, she says, “Especially for the kids, here, they’re laughing, running, screaming but in the other house, they couldn’t do the same.”

About the volunteers, Gricelda proudly displays photos of the volunteers who came to construct her home in her living room, a reminder of the help they had along the way. Their goal is to add a second story one day.

Oscar García Family

14 May, 2019/in Meet our families, News /by admin

Oscar, Maria and their 3 children (ages 16, 14 and 9) live just outside the town of La Esperanza. Oscar is a builder, constructing houses and Maria is a homemaker.

Before moving to their Habitat home, the family lived in a small home nearby. Maria had heard about Habitat from several others in her community who’d also built their homes through the organization. She personally went to the office to find out more and start the process to build a new home for their family. From the time the paperwork was completed to the first day of building was just 2 months.

When asked, how she feels to be in her own home, Maria responds, “More than anything it’s nice to be outside of the city, here, we have our privacy and there’s a lot less noise.” Just outside the house, there is farmland, a view of the mountains, and a small garden Maria tends each day. “We’re more comfortable, each one of the children have their own rooms, it’s really a nice feeling.”

f the volunteers, she remembers how much they worked, how quickly they put up the walls, and that they were very friendly.” For the group of volunteers, Maria had this message, “We’re very grateful—thank you to you all for your help – may God bless you for the time that you came to work with us”

Regarding future plans for the home, “yes” she says with a smile on her face, in the future, “we’d like to expand the kitchen so we can fit the whole family!”

Ambrocio Hernández Family

14 May, 2019/in Meet our families, News /by admin

The first thing you will see when you enter into the yard of Ambrocio Hernández, and his wife Santa, are freely roaming chickens! Ambrocio, Santa, and their four children, Karen (15), Bryson (12), Denia (11) and Gerson (9), all live at a slower pace of life in the town of La Esperanza.

When they first heard about Habitat, they were living in the city and paying a high monthly rent. The couple shared that they wanted ownership and to reduce their monthly expenses. After going through the process, both are now proud homeowners. Now they spend most of their free time at home. “There’s not a lot of noise and we always feel at peace. Before there was a lot of noise from the cars, here it is more beautiful, it is much calmer, and there’s enough water here, we like living here because we are much more at peace.”

Ambrocio is a salesperson and Santa, is a homemaker. When asked what they have planned for the house, they laughed and responded “more chickens!…”for eggs in the morning.” They also would like to plant flowers and a durazno (peach) tree in their front yard too.

All this is possible, because of the group that visited and helped the couple build their home in May of last year. “It’s a great memory because they helped us to build the house,” Ambrocio remembers; “During this week, I had a lot of work, but thanks to God for the volunteers who came from the United States to help, we are very happy because they helped us in a great way and helped us build the house much faster.”

“I’m so grateful for Habitat because when people really need a house, they’ve really made it possible for families,” says Ambrocio.

Isabel Domínguez Family

14 May, 2019/in Meet our families, News /by admin

After the separation from her husband, Jacquelyn was in need of a place to live. She didn’t have a place to go and with her young daughter and worried about the future. Eric, her brother, was also in transition and looking for stable housing. Their mother, Isabel, who owns a small store, had space on her land where she decided to build a home through Habitat, to accommodate her son and her daughter back home. For Isabel, the best part of all is having her adult daughter and adult son and especially her granddaughter living so near.

After the house was built, Isabel could have moved from her old house, adjacent on the same property but decided to stay to give her adult children a sense of ownership in their living. Eric and Jacquelyn are grateful to have a roof over their heads and to have a sense of ownership, and more importantly, of family unity.

When asked if they remember the volunteers, they remember them well. “Great people,” Isabel says, “My daughter was in awe of how many (volunteers) came, what a blessing!” She continued, “We miss you, and wish the blessing of God that you came to lend a hand in my home.”

“My children are happy because they have their own home,” says Isabel, who is the happiest of all, she is grateful to have a safe and warm place for her family.