My Story

Cuatro Caminos "four roads", where your child lives, is an area located high on the side of a mountain in the state of Quiche, 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 Quiche - however, Spanish is becoming more common. Very little money ever changes hands in this area as they live on a barter system. 

Hello! My name is Angela Yolanda Petronila Chingo Simaj, and I want to introduce myself. I was born on September 12, 2019, and I am 5 years old now. I am in good health, and I am not attending school yet due to my age. I help my mother to sweep, and in my free time, I like playing with dolls. I love monkeys. My favorite color is purple, and I enjoy eating fried chicken. I have 2 brothers and 3 sisters, and three of them are registered at the feeding program too. I have to walk for about 15 minutes to arrive at the program. I come from a humble family, and our frequent needs are groceries and clothes. We attend the Catholic Church.

My father’s name is Carlos Chingo Gomez, and he works as a mason helper. My mother’s name is Maria Simaj Portuguez, and she works as a seamstress; she also raises hens and she sometimes sells them. My parents are both in good health. We live in our own house, and it has three rooms and a kitchen. The rooms are made of concrete block with a tin sheet roof and dirt floor, and the kitchen is outside and only made with a tin sheet roof. We have electricity but no running water. A neighbor has a spring on her land, and she lets us get water from there; we use jars to bring it home, but we get tired because it is located 20 minutes away from us. We have hens, a cat and a dog at home. I tell you that my mom helped me with this letter, and I hope you find it interesting.

Sincerely yours

Angela Yolanda Petronila Chingo Simaj

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio, AAC Secretary-Antigua