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! My full name is Pedro Elias Morente Xirum, and I am so happy to tell you about my life. I was born on February 18, 2016. Thankfully, I am a healthy 9-year-old boy. I am in second grade and my favorite pastime is playing soccer. I love eating beef and my favorite color is green. Domestic animals are nice, but the cutest one is the rabbit. That is my favorite animal. Now, I will tell you a little about my family. My mother is Ana Patricia Xirum Gonzalez, and she is doing well. She keeps busy cleaning the house, preparing our meals, and taking care of my siblings and me. My father is Antolín Morente Alvarado, and he is doing well. He works hard as a farmer to provide our family with all the necessities to survive. He also travels to the coast to cut coffee beans at the end of the year. I have two sisters. As for our spiritual life, let me tell you that we attend Christ church.

We live in our own house. It has two rooms and we use one of them. We have a separate kitchen. The house is made of adobe walls with tin sheet roof and dirt floor. We have electricity and my father pays it monthly, but not running water. We obtain water with a hose from the creek.  At home we raise some hens. We are a very needy family, and some of our needs are groceries. The feeding program is a 10-minute walk from where I live. It is a great blessing to have warm food for free there. I say goodbye to you now, but thank you so much for reading my letter!

Kisses and hugs,

Pedro Elias Morente Xirum

Translated by: Magnolia De Torres / A-A-C Secretary-Antigua Guatemala