My Story

Tunaja is a small area of the state of Quiché, Guatemala. The inhabitants are Quiché Mayans who trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization. The prevalent language is the Mayan dialect - Quiché. 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 difficult.

Hello, my name is Marcelo, and I am 6 years old. I was born I Joyabaj, Quiche on March 26^th, 2017. I am in good health. I attend kindergarten at school this year. My favorite color is blue. I like cats and enjoy playing with toy cars and football. I like that my mother prepares me noodles to eat. I have two brothers and four sisters from whom four of them are registered in the feeding program. We like attending there for our delicious lunch. We normally walk for 15 minutes to arrive.

My father is Pablo Riz Garcia. He is a day laborer and farmer. However, he finds work 3 or 4 days a week. My mother is Guadalupe Chingo Morente. She helps my father with the incomes by washing clothes for others. Nevertheless, it is not a stable job. I would like to ask for your prayers for my family because my father does not want us to attend church. He hopes that someday God works in his heart, and we will be able to worship God and congregate in a Church.

We live happily together in our own house that has two rooms and one kitchen. It is made of adobe, tin sheet roof and dirt floor. We have running water and electricity that my father pays. We have domestic animals at home such as chickens. Our greatest need as a family is food. Thank you for letting me share a little of my life with you. I also appreciate that my mother gave this information to the LW team. May God bless you for helping me through Living Water!

Best regards from now on,

Marcelo Riz Chingo

Translated by: Mireya de Sadoval, AAC Secretary / Antigua