My Story

Chuchuca, where your child lives, is an area located high on the side of a mountain in the state of Quiche, 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 Quiche Mayans who inhabit this area trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization. They normally speak a Mayan dialect called Quiche - however, Spanish is becoming more common. Very little money ever changes hands in this area as they live on a barter system.

Hello! It is a pleasure to share a little about my life with you. My full name is Santos Eliseo de la Cruz Garcia, and I was born on August 18, 2020. Fortunately, I am a healthy 5-year-old boy. I am in pre-kindergarten.  After school, I come back home and play with toy cars with my siblings. I have two brothers and one sister. My favorite color is green. I like all domestic animals, but my favorite one is the rabbit. I am glad to let you know that my family is doing well. My father works hard as a farmer and a day laborer in our village. His name is Hector de la Cruz Barrera. On the other hand, my mom keeps busy doing the chores. She prepares delicious food, but my favorite one is rice with beans. She does her best to contribute to the expenses by raising and selling chickens, pigs, and turkeys. Her name is Catarina Garcia Garcia.

We are Christians and attend a nearby church called The Assembly of God. The house where we live belongs to my parents. It is made of adobe with a tin sheet roof and a dirt floor. It has only one room, so we made an improvised kitchen. There is no running water at home, but we get our water from a spring. Instead of conventional electricity, we use a small solar panel. Please pray for my family and our needs. Some of them are groceries, clothes, shoes, and school supplies. I want you to know that my siblings and I only walk for ten minutes from our house to get to the feeding program. Thank you so much for reading my letter! Let me tell you that my mom helped me share all this information with a staff member of LW.

Special regards,

Santos Eliseo de la Cruz Garcia

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala