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 corps. 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.

I am so glad for the opportunity to introduce myself and share news about me! My name is Bayron Edwin De La Cruz Garcia. I was born on June 10^th of 2021, in Zacualpa, Quiche, Guatemala. I recently turned 4 years old and I am in good health. My father is Tomas Efrain De La Cruz Chingo. He works as a day laborer in our village and grows corn at home. He travels to the coast to clean the grown weeds in the coffee farms; he usually stays there for three months when he cannot find a job in our village. He is responsible for our family. My mother is Rosa Garcia Mendez. She usually does the housework and raises hens and pigs. I have one brother and two sisters. By the grace of God, my loved ones are doing well.

I am still not attending school because of my young age. My hobbies are to play football and toy cars. I like the color black. The animal I like the most is the horse, and my favorite food is fried chicken. We are members of the Prince of Peace Church. The house in which we live belongs to my mother´s brother, and thankfully, we do not pay for rent. My grandma lives there too. The house is made of adobe, with tin sheet roof and a dirt floor. The kitchen is separated. We have running water and pay for it only once a year Q60.00 = $8.00. Since we do not have electricity service, we use lamps or candles to get light at night. For now, our greatest needs are groceries and corn. I am so excited to be registered at the feeding program and I walk 20 minutes to get there. Thank you for reading my letter, and I would like to hear news from you very soon. Every kind of blessing over you!

Warm hugs,

Bayron Edwin De La Cruz Garcia

Translated by: Violeta Hernandez / A-A-C Secretary-Antigua Guatemala