Chuchucá
Guatemala
Child
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 Erick Geovani Riz Riz. I was born in Zacualpa Quiche on April 6, 2015, and I am already 9 years old. At school I attend second grade. I love cats and my favorite color is purple. I love eating rice and noodles. My hobby is to play soccer. I live with my mother and two brothers. Thank God, my family and I are healthy. My father´s name is Jose Riz Ruiz and he is living and working in the Unites States. He works in a barber shop and sends us monthly support to supply our home needs. My mother´s name is Rosalina Riz Benito. She is a housewife and she also raises hens and goats.
We attend the Catholic Church. The house in which we live belongs to my paternal grandmother; we share the house with her. There are three rooms made of adobe with a tin roof and a dirt floor. The kitchen is in one of those rooms. There is running water and electricity and my grandma pays for those. At the moment, our greatest needs are clothes and shoes. I am so excited to be registered in the feeding program even though I must walk one hour to get to the program. I hope you like my letter and I would like to receive news from you very soon. May God bless you in a big way!
Huge hugs,
Erick Geovani Riz Riz
Translated by: Violeta Hernandez / A-A-C Secretary-Antigua Guatemala