CA1685

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 Isabel Gomez Benito.  I was born on November 23, 2005 and I am fourteen years old.  I am a healthy child and I walk about 20 minutes to get to the feeding program.  Unfortunately, my father left with another woman and he does nothing to support me.  My mother abandoned us when I was very small.  I live with my grandmother whose name is Isabel and she is the one who supplies my needs.  She works with the neighbors doing whatever job they have for her to do.  I have an uncle, Francisco, and he works as a day laborer to help support our family.  The house that we live in is made of adobe with a tile roof and a dirt floor.  It is one room with a separate kitchen.  We have electricity but we do not have water.  We get our water from the river with a hose.  We have some dogs and some chickens.  I am in the 1^st grade.  My favorite color is pink and my favorite animal is the chicken.  The foods that I like best are tacos, watermelons and mangoes.  In my free time, I like to play ball.  Currently, my family does not attend church.

With much love and many blessings,

Isabel Gomez Benito

Translated by: Edwina Lyons/AAC Missionary