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 crops. The Quiché Mayans who inhabit this area trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization. They normally speak a Mayan 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.

Hello, my name is Eduardo Alexander Luis Ruiz, and I turned 4 years old on October 17. I am still not attending school because of my young age. I like cows, and my favorite color is the color black. I enjoy playing toy cars with my siblings. Fried chicken is the meal I love. I am healthy and so is my family. I have three biological brothers and some stepbrothers. I want you to know that I was not legally recognized by my biological father, and I do not have any information about him. So, I only have my mother’s last names.

Unfortunately, my biological mother, Dominga Luis Ruiz, passed away some days after I was born. Now, my siblings and I live with our stepmother, Manuela Guarcas Pol; she takes care of us, but she is not very patient with us, so please pray for her. My stepmother also has her own children, and they are also registered in the feeding program and live with us in the same house. She covers our needs with the money that my stepfather Camilo Ordonez Coj sends us from the United States; he works as a gardener. Since he is attentive to our needs, I consider him my father. My stepfather and stepmother met on Facebook and started their relationship. We raise hens at home.

We attend the Assembly of God church. We live in my stepfather’s house; there are three rooms, and we use two as a bedroom and the other is the kitchen. Those are made of adobe walls with a roof made of tin sheets and a floor that is just dirt. There is no running water or electricity; we use candles to get light and bring water from a nearby river. Our priority needs are groceries and beds. I walk one hour to get to the feeding program. My stepmother Manuela Guarcas provided my personal information to the Living Water staff for my registration in the program. Well, this is all for now. May God bless you!

Lots of love,

Eduardo Alexander Luis Ruiz

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