Smokeless Stove – María Morales Calel

María lives with her husband, Víctor, and their three children, Karla (11), Juan (10) and Wilmer (6) in a small community in Lake Atitlán, Sololá.  While Víctor works in agriculture, María takes care of the children and the household chores.

“I used to cook over an open flame. It was not built correctly and the smoke made us sick; I learned about Habitat Guatemala’s project through a local committee member,” explains María. A few months later, she is content with her stove; “The new stove works great. I enjoy preparing every meal!”

Thanks to Habitat for Humanity Guatemala, María and her family are no longer affected from issues created by the presence of smoke. They used to cough and suffer from irritated eyes. Now, she can cook without any fear that her family will have health problems. Moreover, because the stove consumes less firewood, María does not need to buy as many logs as before.

For the group that came to help build their stove, María sends this message, “Maltiox! Thank you all for your support. We felt happy when we found out you were coming and enjoyed the time you spent here,” she continues, “We are enjoying our stove and we send greetings to all of you.”