María Gregorio – Home for a Home

María (43) is a single mother of five children, Marco (16), Magda (17), Modesto (14), Alex (11) and Marisol (2) living in the community of Chelam, San Sebastian, Department of Huehuetenango.

With the support of Home for a Home and Habitat Guatemala, the Gregorio family received an extra room, a smokeless stove, and a sanitary latrine. This helps them improve their living conditions by giving them a sleeping quarter,  proper sanitation and a smokeless free environment.

Before receiving their housing solutions, the family lived in a small room made from adobe brick walls, a dirt floor and metal corrugated sheet roofing. Next to the room they built a kitchen from nylon and cooked on open fire. “Our living conditions are much different now. My children and I no longer feel cold and the rain does not leak in our new room.”

Regarding their old stove, María shares: “I used to cook over an open flame. We consumed a lot of wood and the smoke made me feel sick. The new one is different as it uses less wood. We are able to cook all our meals at the same time and there is no more smoke inside!” Doña María explains that their old latrine was in poor conditions. “Now that we have a new latrine, we feel content and safe!”

María says to the donors: “Greetings to you all. We are thankful for your support.”