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.

It gives me great joy to be able to share a little about myself through this letter. My name is Gerson Daniel Toj Garcia and I am now 7 years old. I was born on January 22, 2018. I am in 1st grade. I spend time playing soccer. The animal that I like the most is the rabbit. My favorite color is red and I like to eat fried chicken. My father’s name is Pedro Toj Chingo. Sadly, he abandoned us 4 years ago and he has another partner. My mother´s name is Estela Garcia de la Cruz. She is a weaver and goes out to washes clothes for other people to earn money for our expenses. I have one brother and three sisters. Two of my sisters are enrolled in the feeding program too. We walk around 15 minutes to get there. We are members of the Assembly of God Church. My siblings and I are in good health, but my mother isn´t. Unfortunately, my mother suffers from pain in her hands and legs. She has not visited any doctor for lack of economic resources. When she has pain, she massages her legs and hands to try to calm them.

We live in my father´s house. It has two rooms and we don´t have a kitchen. We cook in the corridor. It is made of adobe walls with tin sheet roof and dirt floor.  We have running water and electricity. My mother pays the running water once a year and the electricity each month. We have some hens at home.  My mother works hard, but it isn´t enough to cover all of our needs. We have many needs and some of them are groceries. I pray that God will always be our provider. I am grateful to you for taking your time to read my little letter. Many blessings!

With love,

Gerson Daniel Toj Garcia

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