CA1669

Chuchuca, where your child lives, is an area located high on the side of a mountain in the state of Quiché, 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 corps.  The Quiché Indians who inhabit this area trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization. They normally speak an Indian dialect called Quiché - however, Spanish is becoming more common.

Hello, my name is Ingrid Marisol Poroj de la Cruz.  I was born on September 22, 2010 and I am eight years old.  I am a healthy child and I walk about 20 minutes to get to the feeding program.  My father’s name is Roberto and he is a farmer.  He grows corn and beans for our own consumption.  He also travels to the coast to work doing different types of job, but he travels most of the time during the coffee harvest.  My mother’s name is Estela and she is a housewife.  She also has some domestic animals that she sells when we have a need.  The house that we live in belongs to my maternal grandparents.  It is one room made of wood with a tin roof and dirt floor.  We have a separate kitchen.  We have water, but we do not have electricity.  We use candles for lighting.  I have one brother and three sisters.  We did not attend the program because we had not heard of it. When we returned from the coast, we found out about the feeding program and decided to attend.  We walk by ourselves to the program because we are older children. I am in the 1^st grade.  My favorite color is purple and my favorite animal is the parrot.  The foods that I like best are apples and fried chicken. In my free time, I like to play tag.  My family attends Prince of Peace Church.

With much love and many blessings,

Ingrid Marisol Poroj de la Cruz

Translated by: Edwina Lyons/AAC Missionary