A decent place to live in Mexico

Javier, Lucia and their four children live in La Candelaria, a community in rural Chiapas, Mexico. Javier is a mason and occasionally does carpentry work, while Lucia grows corn and beans for her family.

The family of six used to live in a one-bedroom adobe shack with a wood stove, poor ventilation and an outdoor bathroom, then moved to a wooden structure that leaked on rainy nights.

A decent place to live in Mexico

Now, with Habitat Mexico’s help, Javier has built a concrete home for his family — and has seen an immediate change. “With our new eco-stove, we not only use less wood but can breathe easier inside the house,” he says. “My children have their own room and a place to study and do their homework.”

Lucia sees a change in her children. “My eldest son is so proud of his dad,” she says. “He is still a child, but he is already thinking of working hard so that one day, when he has a family, he can provide them with a decent place to live, like the one he and his siblings now enjoy.”