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! I am Sandra Eva Barrera Morente. My birthdate is September 28, 2019, which makes me 5 years of age now. This year I am in pre-kinder. The color I like the most is pink, and cats are my favorite animal. The meal I love is rice. I enjoy playing dolls. I live with my mother and five siblings. I have one brother and four sisters. My siblings and I are in good health, but my mother suffers from pain in her back. She has not visited any doctor for lack of economic resources. She only drinks natural medicine. Her name is Celsa Barrera Morente and she works as a weaver. I do not know anything about my father and he didn´t legally recognized me either. We are members from the Assembly of God Church. By the Grace of God, we live in our own house. It has three rooms and a separate kitchen. It is made of block walls, tin sheet roof and concrete floor. We have running water and electricity. My mother struggles a lot to pay the services. We raise some hens, cows and turkeys. We walk around 30 minutes to get to the feeding program. It is a great blessing for my family and me to be registered in the program. As a family, our greatest needs are groceries. I end my letter wishing you the best.

Cordially yours,

Sandra Eva Barrera Morente

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