My Story

Dueñas, where your child lives, is a small farming village located at the foot of one of Guatemala's active volcanoes, Fuego (Fire). The fertile ground around the village allows for the cultivation of roses and coffee, two of Guatemala's largest exports. Most of the families in this area live in one or two room wooden or adobe houses with tin roofs. Electricity is available to those who can afford it. Running water is available - however, most homes do not have indoor plumbing. Public education is available for those who can afford it and consider education of value. Life in Dueñas is quiet and sometimes difficult.

I greet you lovingly, hoping you are having a fantastic day. My name is Jorge Adolfo Matias Chavez and I want to share a little about my life with you. I was born on September 30, 2016. I live with my mother and two siblings. I do not have my father with me because he separated from my mother about six years ago. Unfortunately, he is a violent man who used to hit my mother. His name is Jorge Luis Matias Ordonez. At the moment, he does not help us economically or communicate with us. However, he is involved in a legal process to support my sister and me. My mother’s name is Mayra Elizabeth Chavez Sas. She is a hardworking woman who takes care of my siblings and me. She had a new partner some time ago. As a result of that relationship, my mom got pregnant with my youngest brother who is six months old. Unfortunately, her partner did not want to be responsible and abandoned my mom when she was three months pregnant. We live with my maternal grandparents in their house. We do not attend any church at the moment. My grandfather’s name is Arturo Chavez. He works on a farm called Costa Sol. At the moment, he is the one who covers our needs.

Some of our needs are clothes and food. My grandmother’s name is Maria Sas. She does the household chores. My maternal aunts and uncles also live with us in the same house. We are about 17 people in total! The house where we live has four rooms, but we only use one of those and share the kitchen with the rest of our extended family. The walls and roofs are made of tin sheets with dirt floors. The house has electricity and running water services; my grandfather is the one who covers those. As for me, I want you to know that I am a healthy boy. I do not attend school yet, but I am learning the alphabet at the library in my town. I have fun playing freeze tag game with my youngest sister. My favorite color is yellow and I like deer. My favorite dishes are mashed potatoes, breaded meat, pizza, and Pollo Campero (the last one belongs to a fast food restaurant called Campero). To end this letter, I want you to know that my mom helped me to give all this information to an AAC secretary. I will leave you now, but I hope to hear about your life soon.

Lots of love,

Jorge Adolfo Matias Chavez

Translated by: Hillary Popol / AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala