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 Indians who inhabit this area trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization. They normally speak an Indian 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 Hugo Leonel Ajqui de Leon. I do not have my father´s last name because he had already gone to the United States when I was born. I was born in Zacualpa Quiche on February 26, 2012, and I am already 12 years old. At school I attend 5^th grade. I like to rest in my free time. I like geese, and my favorite colors are blue and red. The chicken stew is my favorite food. I live with my mother, two brothers and five sisters. Thank God, we all are healthy. My father´s name is Menardo Chingo Ajqui. He works in a car-wash in USA and sends us financial support. My mother´s name is Gudalupe Ajqui de Leon. She does the housework and raises hens, geese, turkeys and pigs.

We are members of the Prince of Peace Church. Thankfully, my father is the owner of the house in which we live; there are four rooms made of tin both walls and roof, and a dirt floor. The kitchen is in one of those rooms. There is electricity and my family pays every month. We get water from a natural spring nearby our home. The greatest need at home is corn to make our tortillas. I am very happy to be registered in the feeding program and I must walk 40 minutes to get to the program. This is all for now. May God bless you wherever you go!

Bunch of hugs,

Hugo Leonel Ajqui de Leon

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