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 Alex Adolfo Chingo Pastor. I was born on January 18, 2013, and I am 10 years old. I attend 4^th grade this year. I like the color red, and my favorite animal is the hen. I enjoy playing football in my free time. My mother cooks a meal we call “recado” (it is a tomato sauce with spices), and it is my favorite meal. My mother is Julia Pastor Morente. Most of the time, she does the housework, and she also weaves typical items to sell and get some income. We raise some sheep. My father is Francisco Chingo Gomez. He is working in a grocery store in Guatemala City, and he does not live with us because it is far away from home. However, he sends us financial support every two months through the bank, and he comes to visit us once a year. I am heathy and so is my family. I have one sister.

We attend Assembly of God Church. My mother is the owner of the house where we live; there are three rooms and the kitchen is separate. Our rooms are made of adobe walls with a roof made of tin sheets and a floor that is just dirt. There is running water and electricity; the water is one payment each year, and the electricity each month. For now, the top priorities are groceries. I have to walk one hour to get to the feeding program. This time the Living Water staff collected this information personally for the record, and my mother Julia Pastor provided it. Take care of yourself. May God bless you!

Lots of love,

Alex Adolfo Chingo Pastor

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