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 Wilson Alfredo Riz Riz. My birthdate is January 10, 2019, which makes me 5 years of age now. Due to my young age, I am not attending school. At the moment, I enjoy playing with my toy cars. Sometimes, I go to herd our sheep. I love rabbits and my favorite color is red. I enjoy eating rice, it is my favorite food. By the grace of God, my family and I are in good health. My mother´s name is Rosalina Riz Benito. She is a housewife and she also raises hens and goats. My father´s name is Jose Riz Ruiz and he is living and working in the Unites States. He works in a barber shop and sends us monthly support to supply our home needs.

We attend the Catholic Church. The house in which we live belongs to my paternal grandmother; we share the house with her. There are three rooms made of adobe with a tin roof and a dirt floor. The kitchen is in one of those rooms. There is running water and electricity and my grandma pays for those. At the moment, our greatest needs are clothes and shoes. I am so excited to be registered in the feeding program even though I must walk one hour to get to the program. Thank you for reading my information. Many and abundant blessings over you!

Warm regards,

Wilson Alfredo Riz Riz

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