My Story

Chuchuca, where your child lives, is an area located high on the side of a mountain in the state of Quiché, Guatemala. Life in this area is very difficult and very isolated from the outside world. It is more than a two-hour walk to the nearest market town of Zacualpa. Chuchuca is a farming area where corn and black beans, the staple elements in their diet, are the major crops. The Quiché Indians who inhabit this area trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization. They normally speak an Indian dialect called Quiché - however, Spanish is becoming more common. Very little money ever changes hands in this area as they live on a barter system.

Hello! My name is Anyeli Pastor Benito and it is a pleasure for me share with you a little bit about me and my family. I was born on December 26, 2019, so I am 5 years old. I am in pre-kindergarten at school. My hobby is playing with my dolls. My favorite color is green and I love cats. I like to eat chicken and noodles. I live with my parents and siblings. I have two brothers and three sisters. By the grace of God, my mother, siblings and I are healthy but sadly my father can't hear. My father lost his hearing from a fall he had from a tree when he was a child. He struggles a lot working as a farmer. His name is Oscar Anibal Pastor Gomez. My mother´s name is Antonia Benito Sac. Sometimes she works washing clothes for other people. My family and I are members of the Catholic Church.

Thanks to God, we live in our own house. We have one room and a separate kitchen.  It is made of adobe walls, tin sheet roof and dirt floor. We do not have running water or electricity. We use a solar panel to get light and get water from the river. We also have some hens, sheep and pigs. We are a family with many needs at home. Some of them are groceries, and we need to change the roof of our house. It is very deteriorated. Three of my siblings are enrolled in the feeding program too and we are very happy to be part of it. We walk around one hour to get there. I am so thankful to you for taking your time to read a little bit of my history.

Bunch of hugs,

Anyeli Pastor Benito

 Translated by: Magnolia De Torres / A-A-C Secretary-Antigua Guatemala