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 name is Heidy Rebeca Roxana de la cruz Mendez. My birthdate is Nov 3, 2018, and this November I will turn 6 years old. This year I attend pre-kindergarten. I love playing with my dolls in my free time. My favorite color is pink. I like hens. The food I love the most is eggs with beans. My mother´s name is Maria de la Cruz Mendez. She is a housewife and does her best to supply our needs. She raises hens for selling and income. My father is not in my life because he abandoned us, and we know anything about him. I have no siblings. I am in good health, but I want you to pray for my mother´s health. She felt sick and visited a doctor and was diagnosed with diabetes. Now, she is taking medicine, and feels it is working.

We attend a Christian Church. We live in my maternal grandparents’ house. There are two rooms, but we use only one. The kitchen is separated. It is a very humble house made of corn cane with tile roof and a dirt floor. We do not have running water or electricity. Fortunately, one of our neighbors has a natural spring and he allows us to take water for our use for free, and we use lamps to get light at night. Since my mother does not have a job, our main needs are groceries. Being registered in the feeding program is a great blessing for me; I walk 30 minutes to get there. This is all for now. May God bless you wherever you are!

Lots of love,

Heidy Rebeca Roxana de la cruz Mendez

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