My Story

Chixocol, where your child lives, is a very small village nestled in a mountain valley in the state of Quiche, Guatemala. Life in this state is very difficult and somewhat isolated from the outside world. Most families live in one-room adobe houses with dirt floors and a small attached kitchen. The extremely poor live in houses made of corn stalks. In the past few years electricity and water have become available to most people in the area - however, indoor plumbing is very rare. Most of the families are farmers or shepherds and live off the fruits of their labors. Public education is available for those who can afford it and consider it of value.  Life in Quiche is always a challenge

This is a lovely day to say hello to you. Let me introduce myself. My name is Santos Israel de la Cruz Garcia. I was born on October 18, 2017. I will turn 7 years old soon. I am in kindergarten this year. In my free time, I like to play soccer with my friends. I love the color blue and dogs. I want to tell you that one of my favorite foods is hamburger patties. I want to open my heart and tell you about my family. Sadly, my father passed away four years ago. Unfortunately, he had alcoholic problems and passed away. His name is Santos de la Cruz Riz. My mother´s name is Santos Garcia de la Cruz. She has her own tortilleria (place where they make tortillas). With this income, she covers our needs. I have 5 siblings. One brother and four sisters. They and I are in good health, but my mother suffers from pain in her neck. She has not visited any doctor for lack of resources. When she has this pain, she buys a pill in a pharmacy to relieve a little pain. We live in my mother´s house. It has one room; it is made of adobe and stick walls, tin sheet roof with a dirt floor. We do not have a kitchen. We use a small space to cook which is made of tin sheet roof, tin sheet walls with a dirt floor. We do not have running water. One of our neighbors sells water to us, and we pay him Q150.00 = $19.40 per year. We have electricity and my mother pays for it every month. We do not have domestic animals. I ask for your prayers that we could put concrete floor in our house one day. The feeding program is 20 minutes away from my house. We get there on foot.  Thank you for taking the time to read my letter.

Kisses and Hugs,

Santos Israel de la Cruz Garcia

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