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 Juan Elias Abraham Gutierrez Riz. I was born on August 9, 2014, and I am 9 years old. I am still not attending school because it is located away from my home, and I do not have company to go with. I like the color red, and my favorite animal is the sheep. The meal I love is noodles. I live happily with my mother, one brother and two sisters; thank God, we are fine. My father is Carlos Gutierrez Garcia. He is a farmer and used to travel to the coast. However, he went to work on the coast for about 10 months, and he did not return or call us; it seems he abandoned us. My mother is Francisca Riz Chingo. She is a housewife and now is struggling to supply our needs; she raises 20 hens and 3 pigs to sell. My sister Estela Gutierrez and her husband David Gomez are helping us with the home expenses. my brother-in-law works as a construction helper.

We attend Catholic Church. Fortunately, we own the house in which we live, and we share the house with my sister and her husband and my tree nephews. There are two wooden boards room with a tin sheet roof and a floor that is just dirt. We use one room, and the kitchen is separated. There is running water but no electricity, so we use lamps to get light. We do the water payment once per year, Q70.00 = $10.00. Right now, the greatest need for us is change the roof of the kitchen because it damage. I must have one hour to get to the feeding program. This time the Living Water staff collected this information personally for the record, and my mother Francisca Riz provided it. take care, and I hope to hear news from you very soon. Many blessings!

Special hugs,

Juan Elias Abraham Gutierrez Riz

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