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 to share my information in this opportunity! My full name is Wendy Lucrecia Morente Pastor. I was born on May 14^th of 2021, in Zacualpa, Quiche, Guatemala. I am a 4-year-old girl. My father is Manuel Morente Alvarado. My father works both as a farmer and day laborer and provides for our home needs. My mother is Lidia Petrona Pastor Chic. She usually does the housework and raises hens to sell to get an income. I have four sisters and no brothers. By the grace of God, we are in good health.

Due to my young age, I am not attending school yet. For now, I stay at home and enjoy playing with my dolls. I love the color pink. I like eating noodles. We are attending Church of Christ. The house in which we live belongs to my paternal grandmother; she also lives there. There are three adobe rooms with a tin sheet roof and a dirt floor. There is no running water or electricity service. We have a solar panel to get light, and we bring water from a stream, which is located twenty minutes away from home. As a family, our greatest needs are groceries, corn and clothes. It is a great blessing for me to be part of the feeding program; I go alongside my older sister and we walk one hour to arrive. This is all for now. Every kind of blessing over you!

With much love,

Wendy Lucrecia Morente Pastor

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