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! I am Maynor Agusto Luis Garcia. I was born on May 25, 2016, and I am 7 years old. I am repeating 1^st grade this year. The animal I like the most is the rabbit, and my favorite color is white. Fried chicken is the meal I love. I enjoy playing with my siblings in my free time. I have one brother and one sister. Lately, I have had stomachaches, and I am taking my medicines; fortunately, now I will receive medical care in the LW clinics. Besides that, we are fine at home. My biological father is Isaias Luis Simaj. He left for the United States two years ago, and unfortunately, he went to prison about a month ago, and cannot support us now. My biological mother is Gloria Garcia De La Cruz. Sadly, she decided to go to the USA, and she left recently. She is still looking for a job, and we pray that God provides for her and us here. Now, my siblings and I are under the care of my maternal grandparents; they are Jose Garcia Garcia and Sinforosa de la Cruz Garcia. My grandfather works as a farmer and supports me, and my grandmother is a housewife and embroiders cloth napkins to sell and get income. She also raises hens.

We attend Prince of Peace Church. My siblings and I are living in my grandmother´s house. There are three adobe rooms with a tin sheet roof and a floor that is just dirt. We have electricity but no running water. We get water from a nearby river, and my grandparents pay for electricity each month. The most needed items at home are groceries because my grandparents do not earn very much. I walk about 20 minutes to get to the feeding program. This time the Living Water staff collected this information personally for the record, and my grandmother Sinforosa de la Cruz provided it. Take care of yourself. Many blessings!

Warm hugs,

Maynor Agusto Luis Garcia

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