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! I am Carlos Dario Barrera Chingo. I was born on December 29, 2017, and I am 5 years old. I am still not attending school because I am too young. For now, I spend my time playing with toy cars. I like the color blue, and my favorite animal is the cow. Fried chicken is the meal I love the most. I have one sister and one brother. My mother´s name is Juana Chingo Gomez. She works as a weaver and contributes to the income, and she raises hens. My father´s name is Carlos Barrera Morente. He does farm work; furthermore, he goes to cut sugar cane or coffee beans on the coast to support the family. Thankfully, we are in good health.

We attend a Christian Church. Since we do not have our own house, we live in my maternal grandparents’ house. There are three rooms made of adobe walls with a roof made of tin sheets and a floor that is just dirt. We use two rooms, and the kitchen is separate. There are running water and electricity services; my parents pay for them. At the moment, we are in need of groceries and beds. I live away from the feeding program and I must walk one hour to get there. This time the Living Water staff collected this information personally for the record, and my mother Juana Chingo provided it. Every kind of blessing!

Bunch of hugs,

Carlos Dario Barrera Chingo

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