María Cardona Family – Hybrid House Program – Home for a Home

María (30), and her four children, Aura (13), Haroldo (12), Santos (10) and baby Omar (1), are the owners of a new Hybrid House in the community of Chelam, San Sebastián, Huehuetenango. María is a single mother, who weaves traditional clothes to later sell them at the market during market daysthat she sells at the market.

Our new Hybrid House solution is a two-room home built with a mix of traditional materials: adobe blocks, cement blocks, and wood. This solution is partially subsidized which means that beneficiary families are asked to contribute towards the cost of materials and provide labor such as preparing adobe blocks, among other tasks.

Before partnering with Home for a Home and Habitat Guatemala, María’s family used to live at her parents’ house, in one small room built out of adobe blocks, wood and dirt flooring. That house is was also shared with more than seven relatives. When asked how she feels about her new home, María answers, “I feel happy to have our own house. Soon, we will be able to do what we want, we have more space too; we feel content with it.”

As part of the Hybrid House Programs, families also receive a latrine and a smokeless stove. This helps them improve their health by giving them adequate access to proper sanitation and a smoke free environment. María used to cook over an open fire on the floor. The new smokeless stove will help them improved their the families health, since the smoke is no longer inside their house. Previously, the family did not own a latrine and would to go to the woods. Now, that they have a safe and hygienic place for their basic needs.

María finishes by sharing a message with the our donors, “Thank you for providing us with our home! I feel content with it! May God bless you.”