My Story

Tunajá is a very primitive area of the state of Quiché, Guatemala.  The inhabitants are Quiché Indians who trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization.  The prevalent language is the Indian dialect - Quiché.  The people are either farmers or shepherds and live off the fruits of their labors.  Very little money ever changes hands as they use a barter system.  Public education is available - however, most families cannot afford it.  Electricity and running water are not available in most of the area.  Life in Tunajá is extremely difficult.

Hello, it is my pleasure to say hello for the first time. I feel grateful to have this opportunity and share my information with a special person like you. I am Angela Zuleyma Cux Luarca. I am 6 years old. I was born on June 10, 2020, in Joyabaj Quiche. I love eating hard-boiled eggs with black beans. My favorite color is pink. I am not in school yet. I like kittens. I enjoy playing with dolls and toy dishes. Thank God, I am healthy. I only have one brother who is already married. He is in The United States.

My father is Manuel Cux Hernandez. Sadly, he passed away due to advanced cirrhosis. My mother´s name is Maria Luarca Mejia. She is a housewife. She has a malformed foot, so she uses a wheelchair. She normally goes to the local plaza or market to ask for donations to sustain us because she cannot work due to her problem. She receives some economical help several times from my brother because he has his own family.

Thankfully, we live in our own house. It belongs to my mother. It has one room and one place to cook. The house is made of tin sheet roof and walls with dirt floor. We have running water that my brother helps to pay for. The electricity service is paid for by my mother monthly with the money people give her. We do not have any domestic animals. Our needs as a family are food, corn and clothes. It is a blessing for me to go to the feeding program. My mother is the one who takes me there. We usually take a tuc-tuc for 10 minutes to get there. I would like to ask for your prayers for my mom because I have to start school next year and my mother is worried about it since she does not have a job to sustain us. Thank you so much for your attention. May God bless you richly wherever you are!

Sincerely yours,

Angela Zuleyma Cux Luarca

Translated by: Mireya de Sandoval, AAC Secretary / Antigua