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 Mayans who inhabit this area trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization. They normally speak a Mayan 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 name is Sebastian Garcia Ajqui. My birthdate is January 10, 2017, which makes me 6 years of age now. This year I am attending first grade at school. My favorite animal is the sheep, and the color I like the most is blue. The meal I love is fried chicken. I enjoy playing with my toy cars. I have one brother; thank God my family and I are fine. My father is Jose Domingo Garcia Jimon. He makes a living by farming the land in our village. However, he goes to work on the coast from October to December during the harvesting of coffee beans. My mother´s name is Eva Ajqui Mendez. She usually stays busy with the housework and raises a pig.

We are a Catholic family. Fortunately, we live on our property; there are two adobe rooms with a tin sheet roof and a floor that is just dirt. The kitchen is separated. We have and pay for running water, but there is no electricity, and we use candles to get light. At the moment, our greatest needs are food and beds. I walk 40 minutes to get to the feeding program. This time the Living Water staff collected this information personally for the record, and my mother, Eva Ajqui, provided it. I say goodbye to you for now. Every kind of blessing is to you!

Lots of love,

Sebastian Garcia Ajqui

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