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 Indians who inhabit this area trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization. They normally speak an Indian 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 Marta Alicia Angelica Calachij Gomez. My birthdate is September 27, 2011, which makes me 13 years of age now. This year I attend 4^th grade at school. I very much like our national bird the “Quetzal”, and my favorite color is red. The meal I love is fried chicken. I enjoy playing soccer. I live happily with my father and mother; I have four brothers and six sisters. Thankfully, my family and I are doing well. My father´s name is Juan Calachij de la Cruz. He works both as a farmer and day laborer to provide for our family. My mother´s name is Julia Gomez Ruiz. She stays busy with the housework, and she also grows herbs for selling. Also, she sells avocados during the season. We raise hens and pigs. We have dogs.

We attend the Catholic Church. Thank God, my father is the owner of the house where we live; there are three rooms, and the kitchen is separate. The house is made of adobe with tin roof and a dirt floor. We have running water and electricity; the water is paid for annually and the electricity is paid for by my father every month. The most essential item we need at home right now is a bathroom, so we are praying to God to provide the resources so we can get one. I am so blessed to be registered in the feeding program and I usually walk one hour to arrive there. This is all for now, and I hope to hear news from you very soon. May our almighty God bless you wherever you are!

Lots of love,

Marta Alicia Angelica Calachij Gomez

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