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! I am Daniel Angel Ervin Calachij Guarcas, and I greet you with much love. Let me tell you a little about me. I am 6 years old, and I was born on November 26, 2018. I am in good health, and I am in kindergarten this year. I play soccer and toy cars in my free time. My favorite color is green, and I enjoy eating herbs. I have two brothers and five sisters, and three of them are registered at the feeding program too. We walk for 20 minutes to arrive at the program. We are a needy family, and groceries and clothes are our frequent needs. 

My father’s name is Rolando Calachij Barrera, and he works as a farmer or day laborer to cover our needs. My mother’s name is Tomasa Guarcas Zavala, and she is a housewife; she raises hens for selling. Thank God, my family is in good health, and we are attending Assembly of God Church. We live in our own house, and it has two rooms and a kitchen; it is made of adobe with a tin sheet roof and dirt floor. We have electricity service, and we get the water from a stream which is 20 minutes away from our house. We have hens at home. This is my information, and I hope you find it interesting.

Many blessings

Daniel Angel Ervin Calachij Guarcas

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio, AAC Secretary-Antigua