Smokeless Stoves: Vicenta and Luis

Vicenta and Luis live in the community of El Chipotón in the department of Chimaltenango. They have been married for thirty-two years and have lived in their home just as long. Their seven children live nearby; the youngest is fifteen and the oldest is thirty. Before partnering with Habitat for Humanity Guatemala to build a smokeless stove, Vicenta cooked on the floor of her kitchen. When they learned about the support that Habitat Guatemala offers families in a nearby town, she and Luis decided to contact the local office and see if they qualified for a stove. And they are both happy that they did.

“I buy the wood that I cook with.”, explains Vicenta. “It didn’t used to last as long, but now we use much less wood. The same amount of wood lasts longer.” Luis adds that he has noticed a difference in the amount of smoke in the house as well. “Now the smoke gets carried outside of the house.”, he says. “Before it all stayed in the kitchen.”

The couple agrees that they enjoyed having the volunteers spend time with them and are happy that they all shared a meal together. “The volunteers are good people!” finishes Luis.