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 Catarina Maricela Cumar de la Cruz. I was born on May 7, 2013, and I am 10 years old.  I am a third-grade student this year. I love sheep, and I love the color pink. I enjoy eating chicken and black beans. I help my mother with some chores at home, and then, I like to play with my dolls. I love my parents and siblings. I have two brothers and one sister; fortunately, we are fine. My father is Jose Cumar Tebalan. He does farm work and goes to work on the coast harvesting coffee beans. He is on the coast now. My mother is Maria de la Cruz Hernandez. She stays busy with the housework and raises hens and pigs.

We are members of the Catholic Church. We live on our property; we have only one room in which we also cook. The room is made of wooden boards, tin sheet roof and a floor that is just dirt. There is running water but no electricity; we use candles to get light, and my parents pay for the water. The most needed items at home are groceries. My mother, Maria de la Cruz, provided my personal information to the Living Water staff for my registration in the program. I live 25 minutes away from the feeding program and I get there by walking. Take care of yourself. Many blessings!

Lots of love,

Catarina Maricela Cumar de la Cruz

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