My Story

Chuchuca, where your child lives, is an area located high on the side of a mountain in the state of Quiche, 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 Quiche Mayans who inhabit this area trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization. They normally speak a Mayan dialect called Quiche - however, Spanish is becoming more common. Very little money ever changes hands in this area as they live on a barter system.

Hello, my name is Dayana Liseth Garcia Garcia. I am so happy to be able to greet you today and wish you many blessings. I want to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about myself. I am a little girl. I was born on February 19th, 2017. I just turned 9 years old this past February.  At school I am in first grade. I love my family and being able to spend time with my siblings. I have two brothers. I love to play with dolls. My favorite color is pink and I love cats. One of my favorites foods is pizza. My father´s name is Jesus Garcia de la Cruz and my mother´s name is Bertilia Garcia de la Cruz. I live with my maternal grandmother; her name is Santos de la Cruz Lopez. I live with her because my parents work in the capital. My father works in a clothing factory. He comes to visit us once a year. My mother works in a tortilleria. She comes to visit twice a year. By the grace of God, we are in good health. We are members of the Assembly of God Church.

We live in my maternal grandmother´s house. It has two rooms and a separate kitchen. My uncles live in the house too, but they have their owns expenses. The house is made of adobe walls, tile roof and concrete floor. We have running water and electricity. Everyone living in the house pools their money to pay for the services. We are a very humble family with many needs: some of them are school supplies and clothes. I am very excited to be part of the feeding program I go with my cousins and we walk around 1 hour to get there. I am very thankful to you for reading my letter.  May God bless your life.

With much love,

Dayana Liseth Garcia Garcia

Translated by: Magnolia Gómez, AAC Secretary/Guatemala