Housing Poverty In Guatemala

33,665 people served in FY21
6,885 through new construction FY21
Projects: construction, smokeless stoves, WaSH, market development

We have been tackling housing poverty in Guatemala since 1979.

By providing housing solutions (sanitation, home repairs, new home builds & energy solutions) that improve their living conditions.

The Housing Situation

According to the National Policy for Housing and Human Settlements, the housing deficit in Guatemala exceeds 1.96 million homes, considering the significant number of families who rent or live in poor conditions including overcrowding.

In addition, there is a great need in rural areas for basic services such as safe drinking water, toilets, electricity, and smokeless stoves.

Safe Homes

Habitat for Humanity Guatemala partners with families to build, improve or repair their homes, meeting national and Habitat quality standards.

Monitoring of the construction process by trained personnel is also offered. Quality materials and structural systems that comply with the rules of the Guatemalan Association of Structural Engineer and Institute of Cement and Concrete of Guatemala are used.

Smokeless Stoves

Guatemalan families that cook over open fires are constantly breathing in smoke and consuming great amounts of firewood. Most affected…

Guatemalan families that cook over open fires are constantly breathing in smoke and consuming great amounts of firewood.

Most affected are Guatemala’s most vulnerable populations. Only the poorest families use this cooking method, and it affects women and small children, who spend more time in the home and are the ones suffering most from chronic respiratory problems and burns.

Moreover, most of these stoves are actually kept within the home, causing layers of black soot to form on the ceiling and walls. Poor families usually don’t have homes of more than one room, thus the smoke contaminates not only the kitchen but the entire house.

Starting in 2011, Habitat Guatemala established the project Small Change, Giant Leap with the goal of installing 17,000 smokeless stoves in five years.

Support Our Work In Guatemala

We have a range of ways that you can support our projects in Guatemala:

Partner with us to build more safe homes

Make a donation towards our work

Follow our projects by subscribing to ZIKOMO

How We Address Housing Poverty In Guatemala

We help low-income families improve their living conditions by: Building new homes and housing communities Stabilising and improving existing houses…

We help low-income families improve their living conditions by:

Building new homes and housing communities
Stabilising and improving existing houses
Providing smokeless stoves
Providing water filters and basic sanitation services

Our mission is to work together with the help of people from around the world to support those in need by building, adding to or improving houses so that all Guatemalans have access to basic housing necessities and can live in a stable home.

Our vision is that all families in Guatemala can live in a safe and decent place they can call home. This will then act as a catalyst to break the cycle of poverty, help families send their kids to school, find jobs or create their own small business.