Gilberto lives with his wife Carolina, and their five children, Horacio, Iris, Gudy, and baby in the community of Las Pavas, Alta Verapaz. While Gilberto works in agriculture, Carolina is a housewife.

Like many communities in Alta Verapaz, Las Pavas was affected by the storms Eta and Iota. In the country, over 2 million people living in poor conditions were impacted by the passage of the storms. “It was hard for us because the river rose. Our houses were badly damaged as the water came from everywhere. We were worried for our children”, says Gilberto.

To support these families, Habitat Guatemala, in coordination with Trocaire and Habitat for Humanity International developed the Humanitarian Assistance Project in Response to Eta/Iota storms. A total of 411 families were provided with a construction material kit for roof repairs, and 48 families benefited from a concrete floor and a water filter. Through this project, families like Gilberto’s have improved their living conditions and health. Now, Baby Sayda has a clean and safe place to grow up and play.

Gilberto has a message for the donors: “As a family, we are very grateful for this support. Receive our greetings from Guatemala. Thank you for your support to our communities”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For Estela and her three children – Cecilia, Eduardo and Clemente – having their own house was something they believed would be just a dream.

A few years ago, Estela’s husband asked that she leave the home with the children. Estela and her children moved to her parents’ house and the family built a provisional room made with corrugated metal sheets and dirt floor. “It was hard, but I decided that I was not going to let myself down. I had to continue fighting for my children”, Estela mentions.

As an active member of a local committee and volunteer for Habitat Guatemala, Estela had helped many families in her community. Now, it was her turn to receive a helping hand. The Habitat Guatemala staff learned about her story and with the support of our international donors, Calvin and Kathy Hewitt, the Colop family was able to start the construction of their new hybrid house.

Becoming a homeowner is a dream come true for Estela and her children. “I love my house, because I don’t feel cold anymore”, says Clemente. Estela is excited to finally have a place she can decorate and make comfortable for her family. “We are planning to paint the house in the future and also add some flowers”, “I do not have enough words to express my gratitude to you. Now, my children have a safe place to grow up!” – Estela Colop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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”. 

 

 

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.”