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.

I hope you are doing well; I am excited to be able to write and tell you a little bit about my family and me. My name is Walter Javier Luis, I was born in Zacualpa, Quiché. My birthday date is July 4th, 2020. I am 5 years old. I live just with my mother and two brothers. My mother´s name is Genara Luis. Sadly, I do not know about my father. My mother struggles a lot to give us the necessities. She raises some hens, chicks, sheep and pigs and sells them. Also, she weaves typical blouses to sell and uses this money to cover our expenses. My brother´s names are Marvin Alexander and Juan Alfredo. By the grace of God, they are enrolled in the feeding program too. We walk around 30 minutes to get there and we are very happy to be part of it. We are happy to know that we have a guaranteed meal during the week, as we go through many hardships.

We are members of the Catholic Church. We live in my mother´s house. It has two rooms and a separate kitchen. The house is made of adobe walls, tin sheet roof and dirt floor. Thanks to God, we have running water and electricity. One of my uncles shares with us. He is in the United States and he also sends us some money from time to time to cover some of our needs.I am not enrolled at school due to my young age. I spend my time at home, and I enjoy playing with toy cars and soccer with my brothers. I love eating sausages with beans. My favorite color is red and I like chicks. Thank God, all of us are in good health.

Best wishes to you,

Walter Javier Luis

Translated by: Magnolia Gómez, AAC Secretary/Guatemala