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! I am very happy to share my information through this. My full name is Gustavo Garcia Luis. I was born on March 6, 2021, in Zacualpa, Quiche, Guatemala. I am now 5 years old, and thanks to God, I am healthy. I am attending prekinder grade at school this year. I love playing soccer and playing with toy cars. My favorite color is orange. The animal I like the most is the rabbit. I love eating fried chicken. I live with my parents, three sisters and one brother. I am very happy to be part of the feeding program, and I walk 30 minutes to get there.  My father´s name is Jose Garcia De La Cruz. He works as a farmer and a day laborer; he travels to the coast to cut coffee beans for six months. He provides for our family. My mother´s name is Paulina Luis Simaj. She is a housewife and takes care of my siblings and me. She also raises hens and sheep, and she grows tomato, broccoli and cauliflower to sell and help with the expenses at home. We live in my paternal grandparents’ house. My grandparents share the house with my uncles and cousins and with us. We use two rooms and a separate kitchen. It is made of adobe walls, tile roof and dirt floor. We do not have running water; we use a hose to bring the water from a spring which is one hour away from our house. Thanks to God, we have electricity and my parents, grandparents and uncles gather the money between them to pay it. We are a very humble family, and we have many needs like groceries. I ask for your prayers so that we will continue to trust in God in every moment.

By the grace of God, three of my siblings are enrolled in the feeding program too and it is a greatest blessing for us because they do many different activities and the teachers teach us biblical histories and Bible verses. We are members of the Prince of Peace church. Thanks to God, we are in good health. Thank you very much for taking your time to read my biography. I am sending much love and hugs. 

Many blessings

Gustavo Garcia Luis,

Translated by: Magnolia Gómez / AAC Secretary-Guatemala