By Sabrina Castaneda | Volunteers and Service Team Coordinator
So far in 2026 we have built 19 houses, including for the Ajpop family. The family is led by a very young mother, just 16 years old, a heartbreaking reality that reflects the challenges many families face in Guatemala. She lives with her 18-year-old partner, and together they are raising their 10-month-old baby. Both were still minors when they became parents, taking on adult responsibilities far too early.
Her husband works in agriculture, a job that provides very limited income, making it difficult for the young couple to meet their family’s basic needs. Despite their age and the hardships they face, they are doing their best to care for their child and build a more stable future.
Their story highlights the urgent need for support, opportunity, and hope especially for young parents who are trying to break cycles of poverty and create a better life for their children.
Next door, the 16-year-old’s mother and five siblings, also living an extremely difficult life. Abandoned by her husband, their mother has to juggle working to earn money for food and taking care of the younger children in the house where they can’t be left alone.
Both families received a house build from us to provide a dignified home to live in. The Service Team that built the houses also provided furniture and food supplies to the families. We were able to add three of the children to our Scholarship Programme and enrol them in school, easing the burden on their mother and allowing her to be able to support the family without the constant worry.
The next family to receive a house build will be the Melendez family. Evelin is the younger sister in a family deeply affected by the traditional machismo that still shapes many households in Guatemala. While their father built a solid block home, it was only intended for the men of the family. The women were expected to “marry and let their husbands provide,” leaving Evelin and her sisters without a safe place of their own.
Today, Evelin faces the reality of that belief. She is a single mother raising her young son completely on her own. Her only income comes from washing other people’s clothes and making tortillas, a hard, underpaid work that barely covers daily expenses. Despite this, she continues fighting for her son’s future with strength and determination.
This home will represent more than walls; it will break a cycle. It will give Evelin and her baby the dignity, safety, and stability they have never been allowed to have.
By Amelia Miller | Communications & Office Manager
By Amelia Miller | Communications & Office Manager
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