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! It is a great pleasure for me to greet you through this means. I am Wilmar Garcia Gomez. I am happy because I have been registered at the feeding program; my two brothers are part of it too. I want to tell you a little about my family and me. I walk for about 20 minutes to arrive at the program. I was born on January 18, 2019, so I am already 6 years old. I am not attending school yet, so I enjoy playing soccer at home. My favorite color is green, and I like the dove. A delicious dish for me is the fried chicken. I am in good health and so is my family. We are attending a Methodist Church. We are a humble family, and our frequent needs are corn, groceries and clothes. We grow corn, but it is not enough for the whole year.  

My father’s name is Sergio Garcia Riz, and he works as a farmer and goes to work in the coffee plantations at the coast. My mother’s name is Maria Gomez Benito, and she works as a weaver and does the household chores. I have two brothers and two sisters. We live in our own house, and we share it with my maternal grandmother. My siblings and I do not have a bed, so we sleep with our grandma. Our house has one room and a kitchen, and these are made of adobe with a tin sheet roof and dirt floor. We go to bring water from a nearby spring and use candles at night. We have hens, a dog and a cat at home. Well, I finish this letter and I hope you find it interesting. May God bless you! 

Cordially yours  

Wilmar Garcia Gomez 

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio, AAC Secretary-Antigua