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! This is Elias Simaj Gutierrez, and I am so happy to greet you through this letter. I was born on July 13, 2019. Fortunately, I am a healthy 5-year-old boy. As for school, let me tell you that I am in kindergarten. My favorite color is blue. I like to play toy cars; and I love ducks. I love eating fried chicken. Now, let me tell you a little about my family. I have two brothers and one sister. Two of them are enrolled in the Feeding Program too. I attend the Assembly of God Church with my brothers and our parents. My father is Rolando Simaj Luis. He makes a living as a day laborer and he goes to the coast to cut coffee beans for four months at the end of the year. My mom is Maria Gutierrez Garcia, and she keeps busy taking care of us. She raises hens and sells them to earn some money to help with the income at home. By the grace of God, my father and siblings are in good health, but not my mother. She suffers from pain in her body and in her head. She has not visited any doctor for lack of economic resources. Please, I ask for your prayers for God to touch her body and give her good health.

I am still not able to write by myself, so my mom helped me write this letter to you. We live in my mother´s sister-in-law´s house. Her name is Olga Garcia. My paternal grandmother lives with us too. We are a low-income family, and our greatest needs are groceries, clothes and shoes. We do not have running water or electricity. We bring water from a natural spring, and we buy candles for light. We walking around one hour and a half to get to the feeding program. I want to say thank you for reading my letter. I send you blessings in Jesus’ name.

Many greetings,

Elias Simaj Gutierrez

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