My Story

DU-2100

Dueñas, where your child lives, is a small farming village located at the foot of one of Guatemala's active volcanoes, Fuego (Fire).  The fertile ground around the village allows for the cultivation of roses and coffee, two of Guatemala's largest exports.  Most of the families in this area live in one or two room wooden or adobe houses with tin roofs.  Electricity is available to those who can afford it.  Running water is available - however, most homes do not have indoor plumbing.  Life in Dueñas is quiet.

Hello, my name is Andy Maria Jose Chitic Yllescas.  I was born on October 21, 2014 and I am four years old.  I am in good health.  I attend the Duenas feeding program.  My mothers name is Nancy Veronica Yllescas Perez, and she is the one who takes care of my siblings and me.  She works mainly as a house wife, but sometimes she washes clothes for other people to earn money.  My father’s name is Melvin Jeremias Chitic Arana.  He works riding a rickshaw from Monday to Sunday. We live in a rented three-room house with my grandmother and my uncle, but my family lives in only one room.  The house is made of tin sheet with a cement floor.  We have water and electricity.  We do not have our own kitchen but share the kitchen with my grandmother.  I do not have any pets, but I do have one small chicken outside our house.  I walk about 45 minutes to get to the feeding program.  I still do not attend school because I am too small.  I have 2 sisters and 1 brother, and I love to play tag with them.  My favorite color is green, and my favorite animal is the rabbit.  The food I love to eat the most is caldo de pollo (a typical Guatemalan dish).  My family attends a catholic church.

With much love and many blessings,

Andy Maria Jose Chitic Yllescas

Translated by Edwina Lyons, Living Water Missionary