My Story

Tunajá is a very primitive area of the state of Quiché, Guatemala.  The inhabitants are Quiché Indians who trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization.  The prevalent language is the Indian dialect - Quiché.  The people are either farmers or shepherds and live off the fruits of their labors.  Very little money ever changes hands as they use a barter system.  Public education is available - however, most families cannot afford it.  Electricity and running water are not available in most of the area.  Life in Tunajá is extremely difficult.

I am glad to say hello for the first time. I am Manuel de la Cruz Garcia. I am 10 years old, and I was born on July 8, 2014. At school, I am repeating 1^st grade. My favorite color is blue, and I like dogs. I love eating fried chicken. In my free time, I like playing with my ball and marbles. My health is good and so is my family´s. I do not have brothers, just three sisters. Two of them are registered in the feeding program. We walk together for around 2 hours to attend. My father´s name is Luis Antonio de la Cruz Morente and my mother´s is Juana Garcia Grave.

Sadly, my father abandoned our family 8 months ago. He works as a day laborer and helps us a little economically every two months. On the other hand, my mother struggles to cover our needs by cleaning the corn crops and carrying firewood for our neighbors. She improves the income by raising chickens to sell. We live in our own humble house. However, my mother is afraid to lose it because three years ago my father tried to travel to The United States, and he mortgaged the land and the house to pay the trip. Unfortunately, the trip was not successful, so my mother is afraid that they will evict us from the house. Our house has one room and a separate kitchen. It is made of adobe walls, tin sheet roof and dirt floor. There is also a spring where we get our water through a hose. As for electricity, we have a solar panel and flashlights. We are members of the Full Gospel Church. As a family, we have many necessities, but the main ones are corn, groceries and clothes. Moreover, I would like to ask for your prayers for my mom because she sometimes finds a job and sometimes does not, so it is hard for her to sustain us. Thank you so much for your good heart toward us. Besides that, thank you for reading this information that my mother gave to the LW team to share with you. I pray for the Lord to bless you and provide everything you need. I send my love to you!

Kisses and hugs,

Manuel de la Cruz Garcia

Translated by: Mireya de Sandoval, AAC Secretary / Antigua