The tiny hamlet of Esperancita Yulmacap, located in a remote and mountainous region in northwest Guatemala, is a busy place this week as villagers prepare to receive life-changing gifts from people in Washington state they will never know or meet.
The gifts are in the form of stoves, one for each family. Having a stove means less time spent collecting firewood as the stoves burn far less than the traditional open fire method commonly used in Mayan homes. It also means they don’t have to breathe in all that smoke in their homes or kitchen areas, providing a healthier and safer environment for children and adults. A bonus this year is the gift of Ecofiltro water filters, made in Guatemala and used successfully in villages across the country to purify water for home as described in this blog.
The villagers gathered on Thursday to say “thanks” to Marine View Presbyterian Church in Tacoma, along with many others across Puget Sound who contributed to this year’s effort to bring them their stoves.
This is the first time Marine View has engaged in a “virtual” mission project in Guatemala, having sent teams to work on stove and school projects in the northwest highlands area since 1989. Marine View was prepared to send a team again this year but a little pandemic got in the way.
The organization Marine View coordinates with in Guatemala, the Everett-based Hands for Peacemaking Foundation, will dispatch 10 staff members from its base in Santa Cruz Barillas to Esperancita. They’ll leave at 5 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 31, and spend four days in the village, staying at the local school house. The team will be joined by six local villagers to help with the installation work, breaking into four teams to work house to house (Similar to other stove installation missions of the past).
Here are some more photos and videos of the work that has already taken place to prepare the village for the week ahead.
We gratefully wish to acknowledge the photos and videos sent by Marco Maldanodo and Hands for Peacemaking staff in Guatemala.
Very nice, love to see happy villagers with their new stoves. And wearing face masks. Thanks to all who made this trip possible.
Indeed! Extra precautions are being taken by the staff and villagers to stay safe.
This is so heartwarming to see. Thank you Brian! Thank you to all those that contributed to make this possible for this village especially now during a pandemic.
Amen!
Thank you for the news!! God bless all the hard workers who made this happen. It is heartwarming for sure to see these lovely people and their smiling faces.