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.

My name is Keila Yanira Macario Tzoy and I am so happy to let you know a little about my life through this letter. I was born on July 12, 2018. Today, I am a healthy 6-year-old girl. I still do not attend school but I hope to go next year. I like the color sky-blue and my favorite animal is the tiger. My favorite pastime is playing dinosaur toys with my older brother. About my food, let me tell you that I love having fried chicken for my meals. I am so happy because I have a lovely family. We attend a Christian Church and everybody is doing well. However, my older brother, Felix, gets sick frequently because his lungs are not strong enough to resist infections. He got bronchitis when he was a baby. So, I beg you to pray for him. Besides Felix, I have other two brothers but no sisters.

My mother’s name is Zoila Tzoy Hernandez de Macario. She keeps busy doing the household chores and taking care of my siblings and me. She sometimes washes clothes for other people and sells hens. My mom uses her income to help with household expenses. My father’s name is Jose Macario Mechen. He works as a mason’s helper in our village. Besides that, he harvests coffee beans from October to December at the coast to earn extra money. By the grace of the Lord, we live in our own house. It is made of concrete blocks with a concrete roof and a ceramic floor. It has two rooms, a separate kitchen, electricity, and a well to get water. I beg you to pray for my family and our needs. Our priorities are corn and groceries. Now, I want you to know I am so happy to be part of the feeding program. We usually walk 15 minutes from our house to have delicious meals there. It is time to say goodbye to you, but I send you many kisses and hugs. See you soon!

From the bottom of my heart,

Keila Yanira Macario Tzoy

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary/Antigua Guatemala