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 Yesica Gricelda Ruiz Toj. My birthdate is July 10, 2019, which makes me 4 years of age now.  I am still not attending school because of my young age.  I spend my time playing with dolls. The color I like the most is pink, and my favorite animal is the dog. The meals I love so much are chicken and noodles. I have one brother and three sisters; thank God, we are healthy. My father´s name is Baldomero Ruiz Chingo, and my mother´s name is Micaela Toj Chingo. They both work as farmers in the village, and they are struggling to provide for our needs because they do not earn very much. We raise goats to sell and get some extra income.

We do not attend church for now. Thank God, we own the house in which we live. There is one wooden room with a tin sheet roof and a floor that is just dirt. We do not have running water or electricity. We bring water from a stream and use candles to get light. We are a humble and needy family, and the most needed items at home are groceries and clothes. I live an hour and fifteen minutes away from the feeding program and I go there by walking. This time the Living Water staff collected this information personally for the record, and my aunt Zoila Toj provided it. Well, this is all for now. Every blessing to you!

With much love,

Yesica Gricelda Ruiz Toj

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