Cristina Cuc – HFH Asheville – Joel Johnson

Cristina (28),  lives with her husband, Pedro (33), and their 3 children, Sandra (8), Carlos (4), and Liliana (1), in a small community in Chimaltenango. While Pedro works in the fields, Cristina takes care of the children and the household chores.

As part of Habitat Guatemala’s smokeless stove program, families receive a stove, to help them improve their health by giving them a smoke free environment.

Cristina explains; “I used to cook over an open flame, a “poyo”, for over 7 years, causing me red eyes and several burns in my hands.” When she found out about the project through a local committee member, she did not think it twice, and signed up to the program!

She feels satisfied with her new stove; “I feel very happy with my stove, I enjoy to prepare my tortillas and beans on it. We also save a lot of wood.”

Cristina refers to her time with the volunteers; “It was a fun day, they worked really hard and carried all the materials to build it.” She finishes by sharing a message to the volunteers: “Thank you for all your support! We feel grateful for our stove.”