My Story

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 crops. The Quiché Mayans who inhabit this area trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization. They normally speak a Mayan dialect called Quiché - however, Spanish is becoming more common. Very little money ever changes hands in this area as they live on a barter system.

Hello! My name is Anderson Michael Morente Chingo. My birthdate is December 9, 2014, which makes me 9 years of age now. I am in second grade this year; it is hard for me to do the homework because I do not like to go to school. However, my mother encouraged me to continue to prepare myself for life. I like the color red, and my favorite animal is the rabbit. I love eating fried chicken. I like to play spinning tops in my free time. I am in good health and so is my family. I have no siblings. My mother’s name is Elsa Morente Chingo. She does her best to support me; she works as a maid in our village. She also raises hens. Unfortunately, my father abandoned my mother. He did not legally recognize me, and we do not know anything about him.  

We attend Assembly of God Church. We do not have our own house, and thankfully, my maternal grandparents are sharing the house with us. Some uncles and cousins also live there. The house has three rooms made of adobe with tin sheets and a concrete floor; we use one of them, and the kitchen is separated. We have running water and electricity, and my grandpa pays for those services. I walk about 10 minutes to get to the feeding program. We would like to have our own house; we are praying that God blesses us with a space to live comfortably. This time the Living Water staff collected this information personally for the record, and my mother Elsa Morente provided it. Sending much love. May God bless you!

Best wishes,

Anderson Michael Morente Chingo

Translated by: Violeta Hernandez / A-A-C Secretary-Antigua Guatemala