Cuatro Caminos "four roads", 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 a two hour walk to the nearest market town of Zacualpa. Cuatro Caminos is a farming area where corn and black beans, the staple elements in their diet, are the major crops. The Quiche Mayans who inhabit this area trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization. They normally speak a Mayan 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 Denis Efrain Xol Quino, and I am writing this letter to tell you a little about me. I was born on June 18, 2017, so I am 7 years old. I am already attending school, and I am repeating 1st grade this year. In my free time, I do my homework and play soccer at home. I am in good health, and I attend a Methodist Church with my family. My favorite dish is fried chicken. I love the color green, and the animals that I like are tigers. I am happy to be part of the feeding program, and my mother accompanies me to the program; we walk for about 10 minutes to arrive there.  I only have one brother. I am from a humble family, and our frequent needs are clothes and groceries.  

My parents are Jose Armando Xol Caal and Hilda Quino Portuguez, and they are in good health. My dad works in a grocery store in Guatemala City, so he comes home every month. My mom grows vegetables for selling, and she also takes time to do the household chores. I tell you that we do not have our own house, so we live with my maternal grandmother and one aunt. My grandma’s house has one room and a kitchen, and they are made of adobe with a tin sheet roof and dirt floor. We get water from our own spring, and we bring it home with a hose. We have electricity service, and we all contribute to pay it. We have a pig, a sheep, a goat and hens as domestic animals. Well, I hope you like my letter. May God bless you! 

With much love  

Denis Efrain Xol Quino 

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio, AAC Secretary-Antigua