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! This is Heidy Melissa de la Cruz de la Cruz. I was born on August 19, 2017 and I am already 7 years old. This year I attend kindergarten at school. My hobby is to play tags with my sister or friends. I like animals and my favorite is rabbit. My favorite color is blue. The food I love the most is fried chicken. I live with my mother and one sister. My mother´s name is Yolanda de la Cruz Chingo. She does farm work and day labor to supply our needs. We usually travel to the coast to pick coffee beans from November to December to get more income. My biological father´s is Rodolfo De La Cruz Luis. However, he abandoned us last year and we know nothing about him. We are healthy by the grace of God.

For now, we do not attend any church. We rent the house in which we live, the monthly payment is Q600.00 = $80.00 and my mother is the only one who pays. The house belongs to one of my uncles and one aunt is living there. We use only one room made of adobe, a tin roof and a dirt floor. The kitchen is separate. There is running water and electricity. My mother pays for electricity every month. The water one of our neighbors provided us for free. Since my mother is a single parent, it is very hard for her to supply our needs, and the greatest needs for us are clothes, shoes and groceries. I am very thankful for the opportunity to be register in the feeding program and I walk only 10 minutes to get to the program. That is all for now. I hope to receive news from you very soon. Many blessing over you!

Lots of love,

Heidy Melissa de la Cruz de la Cruz

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