Selena (21) and her husband, Alex (24) have lived in their house since June. Since moving in, their two-year-old son, Alexander has acquired and becomes best friends with his new puppy, Fanny. The two are inseparable. Wherever Alex goes, Fanny trots after him, sometimes tripping over her paws.

Selena giggles at the scene. “Before, this would not have been possible,” she says. “We were living with my in-laws in Jute, in a small house that had four rooms, but were divided into three parts, as well as a kitchen. Sometimes, the lack of space caused a lot of problems.” She reveals to us that Alexander was being picked on by another child living in the house. “We knew that we had to leave because of that. He needs safety as a child.”

Soon enough, Selena and her husband decided to make a change. They sent in an application to the Zacapa Affiliate of Habitat for Humanity Guatemala to build a house. “It was better for us to live on our own, mainly because we wanted to live more calmly.”

Selena notes that since the move, the changes have brought positive developments. “With Habitat, everything went well. We feel great to have our own house. No one fights, Alexander can go to school nearby. And he can play with his puppy. They’re the best of friends.”

A family makes the home. This is the philosophy that Marlin (25) and José (28) live by. Since moving into their Habitat home last July, Marlin and José have already noticed that their new living arrangement has allowed their multi-generational family to thrive. “Our son, our greatest gift, has so much more space to play,” Marlin smiles as Ángel, their fourteen-month old child, dodges between her ankles.

Like other families in the Colony, Marlin and José were already familiar Habitat for Humanity Guatemala prior to building their house. “We were lucky to have an opportunity,” remembers José.  “We were living in the other Colony (called ‘Gracias a Díos’). It was a smaller place that we rented. Eventually, we wanted to move forward with our own space.”

The couple is pleased with the change that they made. Their new house has much more space that allows them, Ángel, and Marlin’s mother, Judy, to live comfortably. While Marlina and José work at BancoRural throughout the day, Judy cares for little Ángel.

The family is also looking forward to the flexibility that their new living situation has to offer. “We can make modifications to this house; we haven’t been able to do that in the past. We would love to put up a sun roof and patio, create a garden with lots of trees.”

Last, but not least, the family would like to thank the volunteers who made their house a reality. José excitedly shows us the photo of the group.

“To the team who came, they were so enthusiastic, and had so much energy!” He says. “They never got tired! We would like to thank them for their support, for allowing us to achieve our dream.”

“It is beautiful to have a house, and it’s exciting to have something of our own.” Upon saying those words, Douglas pauses, as if having a second thought. He rises up from the stool in his kitchen and enters his bedroom. We can hear him digging around in his closet. When he finally emerges, he is carrying several small objects in his hands. Upon closer examination, we see three pairs of shoes.

“These belong to my daughter,” he beams. “I love buying her shoes.”

Douglas stands out from his Colony neighbors. He is originally from Guatemala City, but relocated when he met his wife, Clara, to Usumatlan. They lived with Clara’s parents for four years before finding an alternative house option that worked for them.

Joining the Amway neighborhood was more seamless than Douglas anticipated. “My wife told me about the Colony and made me a proposition. I would go and see if it would work for us. If I didn’t like it, we didn’t have to move there. If I did, we would apply.” He laughs. “Well, here is the result.”

Living amongst other Habitat for Humanity participants has changed Douglas’s life for the better. “I like how everyone looks out for one another. Everyone is warm and patient. That’s so different from what I grew up with.”

The best part of his newly changed life? Finally spending time with his daughter. “Before, I was working six days a week and missing out on a lot of things. But I found a new job down the street as an assistant manager, and work there is more flexible. Now, I have more time with my daughter. I only work three to four days a week, and the rest of the time I can spend with her.”

“I wanted to move because instead of paying someone else, I pay for me and Marjory. And I know that the money is going to something special.”

These are the first sentences that Frenely (25) confides to us. She is shy around newcomers. However, she immediately brightens when her five-year-old daughter, Marjory, enters the room. The two of them are peas in a pod and spend many afternoons singing and dancing in the kitchen, like mothers and daughters do.

This scene, although relatively new for them, has already had an enormous impact on their little family. As a single mom, Frenely worked for nearly a year running a small food stall to save up and apply for a Habitat House that she knew would be perfect for just the two of them. “We were renting in Usumatlan in a Habitat house that looked exactly like this.” She points to the kitchen, bedrooms, and back towards the bathroom.

When asked about how it feels to have a home at least, she smiles. “It feels to good. I feel comfortable here.” There have been other benefits that home ownership has granted her. Frenely cites that past domestic relationships have not allowed her as much freedom. “If I need something, I can go and get it myself, without answering to anyone,” she says. “I love the comfort and stability that a house brings. If I want to go out, I can go out. If I want to stay, I can stay. The time doesn’t matter, and no one controls me or my daughter.”

As for her plans for the house, Frenely is looking forward to the Christmas holidays. She hopes to add a bit more to the house by putting down a floor and sewing some curtains. With Marjory by her side, anything is possible.