DAVIDSON – Davidson United Methodist Church and Our Towns Habitat for Humanity are working with two groups in Guatemala to address a public health crisis now harming many indigenous people in that Central American country.

And they will demonstrate the problem in front of the church at 233 S. Main St. on Sunday, Aug. 28.

The problem comes with the practice of unventilated cooking inside homes. Poisonous gases released by cooking over open fires is taking a terrible toll on the health of women and children, including severe hearing and eyesight impairment and lung infections. But a simple masonry stove with a stovepipe that carries the smoke outside can eliminate the problem.

On Sunday, the Guatemala Mission Team of Davidson United Methodist and members of Our Towns Habitat for Humanity will erect two typical Guatemalan “huts” on the church’s front lawn to demonstrate the difference the masonry stoves can make – all for about $100. The public is welcome to visit.

The two local groups, working Habitat Guatemala and the people of Chucam, Guatemala, have created the Stove Project. In March and November of 2012, the church plans to send teams to work on several projects in Chucam, including installing stoves in the homes of persons applying through Habitat Guatemala.

Anyone interested in supporting the effort should contact Ron Krueger at ronk@r-anell.com or the Rev. Jeff Hassel  at jhassel@davidsonumc.org or 704-892-8277.