The Pérez family
On a mild day in midsummer Guatemala, StoveTeam’s International Program Coordinator Alex Eaton set out for the home of Amanda and Leonel Pérez, along with a team of local stove builders hired by StoveTeam.
While they built the family’s stove, they fell in love with this vibrant family. Alex decided to share their stories.
Amanda is a kind and humble person who fills her home with love. Her affection overflows and shows in the faces of her children. She loves her new stove and is amazed that she can cook without producing any smoke! “I have always dreamed of having a stove, and it’s so beautiful too! We won’t have to breathe smoke anymore. This has changed my life! I can cook a meal and make tortillas at the same time. Plus, my pots are no longer down on the ground.”
Leonel is a farmer, accepting what work he can. He is grateful to save money on firewood and protect the health of his wife and kids. Leonel even jumped up on the roof with us to help install the chimney. His eyes shine as he says, “Our household is safer with this stove. Now I don’t worry about these rambunctious kids falling into the open fire.”
Surrounded by the beautiful backdrop of hills and trees, three inquisitive kids watched our local stove technicians lay the brick and mortar walls of the stove. This gave us time to speak to Amanda and the kids about the health and environmental benefits of their new stove. The kids worried that the smoke from the old fire hurt their mother’s eyes and made her cough. They were happy to learn that their new stove would also help them grow up healthy and strong.
Miguel, 9, is a joyful kid, full of energy. He loves soap operas and singing in the shower. He loves singing along to the musical telenovela La Reina del Flow. Miguel dreams of becoming a policeman. Thanks to his family’s new stove, he will never need to spend large parts of his days collecting firewood to keep the family fire burning.
Lourdes, 7, is just as curious and playful as her older brother. Despite being unable to hear or speak, she communicates with the rest of her family using a kind of sign language and body language. Lourdes loves dancing in school and wants to be an acrobat. Her family’s new stove ensures that she will have fresh air and healthy lungs, a crucial part of every child’s life.
Diego, 3, was immensely curious about the stove-building process, despite being too little to understand. He spent his time swinging and jumping, and hoping for snacks! When he grows up he wants to be a farmer like his dad.
With this new stove, all the Pérez children and their parents will be spared the inevitable health problems commonly associated with open-fire cooking. It helps protect their natural environment as well.
I was struck by this family’s joy and I appreciated the time I was able to spend with them. In spite of the poverty that surrounds them, love abounds in this home. Their family has struggled more than most, and this new stove was a welcome blessing.
As we were leaving, the family gathered to express their gratitude. The kids ran to bring us fruits from their trees as we departed back down the hill, on our way to the next house, and another family just like theirs.
Alex Eaton, International Program Coordinator
Santiago Zamora, Guatemala
Summer, 2020
Update: January, 2021
We are so excited to announce that Leonel Pérez has now joined our Justa stove project in Guatemala as our newest stove builder. Leonel will be working with a team of eight stove builders in the municipality of San Martín Jilotepeque where StoveTeam will be building stoves for 5,000 families over the next several years!
Leonel and Amanda’s daughter Lourdes has struggled in school due to her inability to hear or speak. Thanks to this job with StoveTeam, Leonel and Amanda are making plans to send Lourdes to a school with facilities to handle her disability!
Leonel’s job is providing his family with a stable income for the first time in 20 years, and they are also excited to improve their house over time.
In the field, Leonel loves getting to know the families who receive stoves, working together with his team to build stoves that changes lives, getting to visit new places, and understanding the different living situations within Guatemala.