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 Roberto Mendez Ruiz. I was born in Zacualpa Quiche on May 15, 2018, and I am already 6 years old. This year I am not attending school yet. I enjoy playing football and tag with my cousins. I love dogs and my favorite color is blue. The food I love eating is black beans with rice. I live happily with my mother and maternal grandparents. My father is not in my life because he abandoned us. My mother´s name is Josefina Mendez Ruiz. She is a single parent works hard to provide for me; she works as a day laborer, and she also weaves typical blouses and belts to sell to get income. My family raises sheep and goats. Additionally, they grow husk tomatoes and black beans to sell and get more income. Thankfully, my family and I are doing well.

We attend the Catholic Church.My mother and I live in my maternal grandmother´s house; she allows us to live there without any payment. My grandparents and aunt live there also. There are two rooms made of adobe with a tile roof and a dirt floor. There is a separate kitchen. We have electricity and my mother pays the bill one month and then, my grandma pays next month; they take turn to pay the service. We get the water from a river with the help of a buckets and plastic containers. What we need the most are groceries and clothes. I like to attend to the feeding program; I usually go alongside my cousins and we walk 15 minutes to get to the program. For now, that is all. Many and rich blessings over you!

Kisses and hugs,

Roberto Mendez Ruiz

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