At sixteen years old, Modesta Maricela Jitatz Gui Gui is in charge of the family meals. Her mother, Liliana, just gave birth to her ninth child, leaving Modesta with the challenge of cooking for up to twenty family members, which includes her siblings, parents, cousins, and more when they return from harvesting their strawberry crop.

Despite what seems like a daunting task, Modesta embraces that challenge. She is particularly grateful for the family’s Habitat for Humanity Guatemala smokeless stove. Because of its efficiency and clean burning, the stove allows her to prepare more food for more people in a shorter period of time. Modesta says that she is thrilled that the metal surface heats up quickly to make large quantities of tortillas. Also, she only has to go out to look for firewood once a week.

Modesta says that she doesn’t miss the old stove, which is a complete contrast to her current one. She remembers that there was always a lot of smoke in her kitchen and that the old stove would eat up copious amounts of firewood. “It was two blocks with a grill stacked on top of it,” she explains, putting her hands out for emphasis. “There was all smoke and no fire. And we have to cook for so many people, so it was hard.”

The new stove only took about a day to construct. Modesta recalls that her father helped shape the blocks and that soon after, a group of international volunteers used them to help build the stove. “They spent the whole day working, until the afternoon,” she reflects. “We are so grateful to all that they have done, and we suffer no longer because of their work.”

Elida Crecia’s small kitchen is carefully kept and impeccably clean. Every tin cup, condiment, and utensil has its place, whether it is tucked carefully between the slats in the bamboo walls or balanced delicately on a wooden shelf. In the middle of her kitchen, the very axis of the meal preparation, she has built her smokeless stove.

“We borrowed our last stove,” she quietly tells us, shifting her two-year-old son, Clinton, on her hip. “It was never ours. But this stove, this is something we can call our own. My husband constructed the bricks, and he also helped build the stove. It took about half a day.”

Although Elida is shy, it is clear that the stove brings her a new joy. She reveals that smoke no longer fills her kitchen, making breathing a lot easier for her and Clinton. They also need not worry about the quantity of firewood, which her husband must go out and search for. “Before, he would leave multiple times a week,” Elida says. “Now, it’s just once a week.”

Elida has fond memories of the team that came to help build her stove and is grateful for their dedication. She describes them has very friendly and hardworking.  More than anything, she wants them to know the following: “May they keep fighting for people like us.”

Just a few months before her first child was born, Sandra (22) was living in Ciudad Vieja, Sacatepequez which is about an hour away from where her husband’s home.  Jose (27) lived in San Pedro, las Huertas next to Antigua Guatemala with his family where he grew up. They had recently married they were still figuring out where to settle. For a moment, they were not living together since from the time they met to the time their son was born they were still living in their parent’s home. Meanwhile, Sandra would commute from her home to Jose’s every day and this journey was very long and tiring. “Sometimes, I would walk all the way because the buses were really full,” said Sandra, “I just wanted my child to be safe.” Lilia, her mother in-law, realized that the couple was going through these difficulties; she gave her son a piece of land for them to build a home.

 

Maria Desire, one of Lilia’s older daughters, had previously built her home through Habitat so she knew how Habitat worked.  When Sandra and Jose had gathered the paperwork for the land cleared, they decided to apply for a home right away. Almost immediately after the paperwork was processed, the construction of their home begun. By December 23^rd of 2017, they had moved into their new home. They are very pleased to know that the land is being used well, since far too many times, people own plenty of land with nothing but a lot of sand.

And as for the future plans for their new home, they have already planted a few flowers for their garden and they hope to paint it to bring more life into their space.

They are now able to enjoy their new life in a new home and best of all, a safe place for them to grow as a family and enjoy their time together. “Thank you for doing a labor that not many others do,” says Lilia. They are very grateful to the team that came down and the will never forget how hardworking they are.

Starting life together doesn’t have to be such a struggle and working with Habitat Guatemala has made things easier for many families including the Arias’ Family.