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 corps. 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.

I am so happy to greet you today and share a little bit of my information with you. My name is Julio Cesar Ruiz Ajqui. My birth date is October 19, 2015, and I turn 10 years old this year. I am repeating first grade this year. I spend my free time playing football, marbles and spinning top. I love the color blue, and the animal I like the most is the cat. My favorite food is fried chicken. My father struggles to provide for our home needs; he works as a farmer and day laborer. His name is Juan Ruiz Mendez. My mother stays busy with the chores and raises hens and pigs to sell. Her name is Juana Ajqui Simaj. I have one brother and two sisters. I am so happy because my family and I are in good health.

My family and I attend Church of Christ. We do not have our own house, and fortunately, my grandparents allow us to live with them in their house. My grandpa is a farmer and my grandma is a housewife; my parents share the expenses with them. It is a humble house made of adobe with a tin sheet roof and a cement floor. There are three rooms with a separate kitchen. There is running water and electricity; my parents and grandparents contribute to pay for them. The water is a yearly payment (Q100 about $14.00), and the electricity is a monthly payment. As a family, our greatest needs are groceries and corn. It is a great blessing for me to be registered in the feeding program and receive my meals even though I have to walk two hours to arrive at the program. I hope you have enjoyed reading this letter and I would like to hear from you very soon. May God bless you!

Hugs and kisses,

Julio Cesar Ruiz Ajqui

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