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 full name is Santa Vidalma Coj Chingo and I am so happy to share my information with you through this letter. I was born on September 21, 2021. Fortunately, I am in good health and I am in preschool. I love having rice in my meals and my favorite color is pink. I like chickens and I have a lot of fun pretending to cook with plastic food. I live with my parents and I have only one sister. We all together attend the Pentecostal Church called Prince of Peace. My father is Victor Coj Barrera and he is doing well. He works as a farmer and day laborer. Moreover, he travels to the coast and works by cleaning coffee plantations for two months in order to earn an extra income to support our family. My mother is Veronica Chingo Chingo and she is doing well, too. She is a housewife and sells chickens that she raises herself to contribute to the expenses.

Please pray for us since it has been difficult for my father to cover our needs. Most of them are groceries and school supplies for me. My family and I live in a small house, which belongs to my paternal grandmother. Some of my cousins live there too. The house is made of adobe with tile roof and dirt floor. It has one room, electricity, and running water. We do not have a separate kitchen. Therefore, my father built a space made of tin sheets and wood to prepare our meals. The feeding program is about 30 minutes away from where I live. I usually get there on foot and my mother accompanies me. It is time to say goodbye, but I appreciate you took the time to read my story.

With much love,

Santa Vidalma Coj Chingo

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary / Guatemala