My Story

Tunaja is a very primitive area of the state of Quiche, Guatemala. The inhabitants are Quiche Mayans who trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization. The prevalent language is the Mayan dialect - Quiche. The people are either farmers or shepherds and live off the fruits of their labors. Very little money ever changes hands as they use a barter system. Public education is available - however, most families cannot afford it. Electricity and running water are not available in most of the area. Life in Tunaja is extremely difficult.

Hello! My full name is Marvin Cux Morales, and I want to share a little about my life with you. I was born on April 24, 2014. I am 11 years old. Fortunately, I am a healthy boy. I attend the fourth grade at school. I love playing soccer in my free time. My favorite color is blue. My favorite animals are wolves. About food, let me tell you that I enjoy eating fried chicken. I am glad because my family is doing well. My mother’s name is Margarita Morales Morales. She is a housewife and works as a day laborer to contribute to the expenses. My father’s name is Samuel Cux. He works hard as a farmer and picks coffee beans at the coast from November to January.

We attend a nearby Christian Church. Luckily, we live in our own house. It is made of adobe with a tin sheet roof and a dirt floor. It has one room, a separate kitchen, electricity, but no running water. Thankfully, my grandmother has a well at her house. She allows us to get water from it for free. We have chickens and pigs at home for our consumption. We are a low-income family, so I ask you to pray for us. Some of our needs are clothes, shoes, and food. The feeding program is one hour from our house, so we usually walk to get there. To end this letter, I want to tell you that my mother helped me share all this information with a staff member of LW. Until next time!

With much love,

Marvin Cux Morales

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala