Mission to Reduce Smoke-Related Illness in Mayan Villages

Hi! I'm Martin Andrews and I'm leading a team of 10 people from my church, First United Presbyterian Church of Dale City, VA, on a mission to Jutiapa, Guatemala. Approximately 90% of Guatemalan Mayans suffer from respiratory illness due to the inhalation of the smoke generated by the unvented wood fires burned openly in most Mayan homes to cook the family meals. Women and children are the ones that most greatly suffer the effects of the smoke. Additionally, these open fires are very inefficient, represent a significant expense for the family, and increase air pollution. In rural settings such as Guatemala, household fuel combustion through open fires is one of the main sources of environmental pollution in the area.

My team will travel to Guatemala to join with Dream, Invest, Grow (DIG) (www.dreaminvestgrow.org) to replace the open fire stoves with new and efficient smokeless stoves. The smokeless stove program implements new wood-burning smokeless stoves with chimneys that drastically reduce smoke inhalation and are environmentally friendly. To date, the DIG organization has installed ~1000 stoves in 4 mountain villages in the Jutiapa area. They are currently working in the village of Valencia, which needs another ~4400 stoves installed.

While we have raised significant funds to aid in reducing our individual expenses, we still need additional funds to further reduce the cost of the mission for some of the team that are struggling with their finances. Please consider supporting this team and our mission to make a significant impact in the lives of this Mayan community.