Micael Bixcul Family

Micael Bixcul lives in a village in Sololá, with her three children.  Her sons are twenty-two and twenty, and her daughter is seventeen. Before building their home by partnering with Habitat for Humanity Guatemala, they had lived with Micael’s parents for fifteen years. The family owns a bakery where she and her sons work while her daughter works for a business in a nearby town.

Micael’s brother learned about the low-interest loan that Habitat Guatemala offers and shared the information with his sister. “When I learned that I might qualify for a loan with Habitat, I decided to apply. I was approved fifteen days later and the process to build our house began,” says Micael. Just forty-five days after building began, her home was completed.

Micael built her home on land that her parents gave her. In Guatemala, it’s common for parents to divide up their land for their children, and many people raise their own families on this land.

Since moving into their new home, her family’s life has changed for the better, Micael shares. “We have more privacy now, more space,” she explains. “My sons have their own room and my daughter and I have our own room. We enjoy exploring the area around our home and my sons use the yard to play soccer.”

She has plans to keep improving her house, too. A false ceiling, a wall around their property, and a covered patio are the first projects Micael would like to complete.

When Micael talks about the volunteers who spent a week working on her home, she remembers that they assisted by transporting the materials to the building site–her house is set back from the road–and she has a message to share, too. “The volunteers were wonderful! We are very happy and will always appreciate their support.”