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 Brayan Anderson Grave Garcia. My birthdate is June 20, 2018, which makes me 5 years of age now. Due to my young age, I am still not attending school. For now, I spend my time playing with toy cars. I like the color red, and the cow is the animal I like the most. The meal I love to eat is rice with chicken. I am a healthy boy, and fortunately, my family is fine. I have two sisters. My father´s name is Feliciano Grave Chingo. He usually works as a construction assistant, but at the end of the year, he goes to work on the coast during the harvesting of coffee beans. My mother´s name is Carmelina Garcia Tzoy. She stays busy with the household chores, but she makes typical bags to sell and help herself economically.

At the moment, we do not attend any church. Since we do not have our own house, my paternal grandmother has loaned us her house. There are three rooms and the kitchen is separated. Our rooms are made of adobe walls with a roof made of tile and a floor that is just dirt. There is running water and electricity; water is one payment a year and the electricity is each month. Our greatest needs are groceries. I walk about 15 minutes to get to the program. This time the Living Water staff collected this information personally for the record, and my mother Carmelina Garcia provided it. Sending much love. Many and rich blessings!

Best wishes,

Brayan Anderson Grave Garcia

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