A Safer Start for a Growing Family

During Team Heart trip, our volunteers from the Impacting Homes pillar met a young mother whose story touched all of us. She is expecting her third child and spends her days caring for her two little daughters, while her husband works long hours away from home.

For years, she cooked every meal over an open fire inside their small house. When her daughters were babies, she would carry them on her back as she prepared food—meaning they spent hours each day breathing in the thick smoke that filled their home. She knew it wasn’t healthy, but there was no other option.

That afternoon, our team installed a smoke-free stove in her kitchen. This simple change will protect her older daughters and ensure her new baby will be born into a healthier home—free from the harmful smoke that once lingered in the air.

The very next day, this same family came to our Impacting Health medical clinic. There, Dr. José welcomed them for routine checkups. He measured the girls’ height and weight, listened to their hearts and lungs, and made sure they were healthy and strong. For the mother, he provided prenatal vitamins—giving her the nutrients she needs to prepare her body for her baby’s arrival.

In just two days, two of our pillars came together to change the course of this family’s future—building a safer home, supporting their health, and giving their newest little one the best possible start in life.