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 corps. 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 Marvin Elias Chingo Luis. I was born on February 22th, 2017, and I am 6 years old. I am attending kindergarten this year, but before I was in Pre-kindergarten for 2 years because of my young age. I love playing football. The color I love is blue, and the animal I like the most is the rooster. Rice is my favorite meal. I live with my parents and one brother; thankfully, we all are in good health. My mother´s name is Paula Luis Gomez. She tries to help my father with the income by working as a day laborer in the village. Besides that, she raises hens, ducks and turkeys to sell. My father´s name is Santos Chingo Garcia. He works on the coast by cleaning the grown weeds from the coffee plantations and planting new coffee trees. He usually works for four months on the coast, returns home to stay with us for a week, and then goes back to work.

We attend a Christian church in our village. We live in my paternal grandma's house; she lives there too. There are two wooden rooms with tin sheet roof and a dirt floor. The kitchen is separated. We have no electricity or running water, so we use candles and lanterns for light. And, we get water from a river with the help of a hose. Since my family is in need, our top priority is to ensure we have enough groceries. I walk about 20 minutes to get to the feeding program. My mother, Paula Luis Gomez, provided my personal information to the Living Water staff for my registration. I leave you for now. May God bless you!

Warm greetings,

Marvin Elias Chingo Luis

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