My Story

Dueñas, where your child lives, is a small farming village located at the foot of one of Guatemala's active volcanoes, Fuego (Fire). The fertile ground around the village allows for the cultivation of roses and coffee, two of Guatemala's largest exports. Most of the families in this area live in one or two room wooden or adobe houses with tin roofs. Electricity is available to those who can afford it. Running water is available - however, most homes do not have indoor plumbing. Public education is available for those who can afford it and consider education of value. Life in Dueñas is quiet and sometimes difficult.

Hello! My name is Maria Romelia Castro Primero; I was born on September 1^st, 2011, and I am 12 years old. I no longer attend school due to limited resources, and most of the time I stay at home with the housework. I like to play with my siblings in my spare time. I love the color blue, my favorite animal is the dog, and the meal I love is rice with chicken. I live with my parents, four brothers and two sisters; thankfully, we all are fine. My father is Juan Castro Lopez. He is the one who struggles to supply our needs; he does farm work in the village. My mother is Margarita Primero Rodriguez. She is a housewife, but she tries to help my father with the income. She picks coffee beans during the harvest, and she also goes to help my father with his job. Fortunately, my older brother is a farmer and works on the farms around our home; he also contributes with the expenses.

We attend a Christian Church called “Jesus is coming soon”. We live in a rented house, and the monthly payment is Q500.00 = $66.00; the electricity and running water are included in the rent. The room is made of block, tin sheets and a cement floor. The house has 4 rooms, but we use only one, and there is no kitchen. So, my mother cooks outside, and we have a table where we put the dishes and pots. A cousin lives in the same house with his family, but he covers their expenses. We are a very humble and needy family, and our primary needs are food, clothes and shoes. Please, support my family with your prayers. My siblings and I walk for about 15 minutes to get to the feeding program. This time the Living Water staff collected this information personally for the record, and my mother, Margarita Primero, provided it with much love. Many blessings!

Bunch of hugs,

Maria Romelia Castro Primero

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