A Kitchen of Her Own: Doña Lucía’s Story

In Paxixil, a community in Tecpán, Doña Lucía Cuscún lives with her daughter. For years, something as simple as preparing a meal often meant waiting for a place to cook.

When her son married, Doña Lucía offered her adobe cooking stove to her daughter-in-law so the newly married couple would have somewhere to prepare their meals. They continued sharing the stove, but its small cooking surface made daily use difficult. Doña Lucía often had to wait until space became available before she could begin cooking. The stove was also old, and smoke filled the kitchen.

During those years, the family experienced a heartbreaking loss. Her son developed kidney disease and, despite medical care, passed away just months after his diagnosis. Doña Lucía and her daughter-in-law faced this difficult time together, and his loss remains deeply felt.

Through International Esperanza Project®’s Impacting Homes pillar, Doña Lucía and her daughter-in-law participated in the Doña Dora smoke-free stove program. For Doña Lucía, it was an opportunity to finally have a cooking space of her own.

After seeing a photograph of the stove during the initial assessment, she began planning her new kitchen. She chose a room provided through a housing project, determined to make the most of the opportunity and create a comfortable place to prepare meals for herself and her daughter.

On installation day, her excitement quickly turned into action. As soon as the stove was ready and the fire was lit, Doña Lucía began making tortillas alongside the volunteers who had helped install it.

Those first tortillas marked the beginning of a new daily routine: cooking in her own space, with room to prepare and enjoy meals with her daughter. Thanks to the support that makes Impacting Homes possible, Doña Lucía now has a kitchen she is proud to call her own.