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! How are you? I hope you are doing well. My name is Balvina Chic Cux. I am writing this letter to introduce myself. I am 10 years old, and my birthday is on December 22; I was born in 2014. I was in 1st grade for three years, but thankfully, I am in 2nd grade this year.  I would like to ask for your prayers for me because I frequently suffer from a kind of eye irritation. In my free time, I look after our hens; I like this animal. My favorite dish is the fried chicken. I like the color orange. I attend Triune God Church with my family. I have three brothers and two sisters, and one of my sisters is also registered at the feeding program. I was not legally recognized by my biological father, and I do not have any information about him. My mother’s name is Petrona Chic Cux, and she raises domestic animals for selling. She has established a new relationship, and he has been with us for the last 8 years. My stepfather’s name is Manuel Quino Quino, and he works as a day laborer to contribute with the home income. The whole family goes to pick coffee beans at the coast from November to February to earn some extra money.  

We live in our own house, and we share it with my grandmother. Our house is made of adobe with a tin sheet roof and dirt floor, and it has two rooms and a kitchen. We use a solar panel to have electricity at home, and we get water from a spring; it is located 10 minutes away from our house, so we use a hose to bring the water home. We have hens and a pig at home. We live a little far away from the program, so I walk for about 15 minutes to arrive there. I would like to end my letter asking you to pray for my mother and stepfather so that God always provides them with the resources to have food, groceries and clothes at home. It was a little information about me, and I hope you like my letter. I pray God blesses you.  

With much love  

Balvina Chic Cux 

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio, AAC Secretary-Antigua