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 Yeily Dayana Bautista Riz. My birthdate is July 5, 2019, which makes me 5 years of age now. This year I am not attending school due to my age. So, I enjoy playing with toy dishes at home. I love chicks and my favorite color is red. The food I love the most is fried chicken. I live happily with my maternal grandparents. My mother´s name is America Yesenia Bautista Riz. Most of the time she works in a tortilla shop in Guatemala City and usually is there for about five or seven months. She visits us for twenty days and then she returns to her job; she supplies the home needs. Meanwhile, my grandmother Felipa Riz Riz takes care of me. My biological father is not in my life because he abandoned us.

My grandparents and I are in good health, but I want you to include my mother in your prayers. She suffers from poor circulation and thankfully, she is taking medicines for it. We attend the Prince of Peace Church. In my grandparents’ house there are two rooms made of adobe, a tin roof and a dirt floor. My grandma cooks outside in the corridor. We are blessed because we have a natural spring at home, so we do not pay for water service. However, we do not have electricity and for now, we use flashlights to light up the house. Our basic needs are groceries. I am very thankful to be registered at the feeding program and receive tasty food although I must walk one hour and fifteen minutes. I hope you like to read about me. Many blessings!

Kisses and hugs,

Yeily Dayana Bautista Riz

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