PT0044                                     

Pasojoc III, where your child lives, is located in an extremely remote area of the mountains in Quiche, Guatemala.  Life in this area is very difficult and very isolated from the outside world.  It is a 3-hour walk to the nearest market town.  The people who inhabit the area are Quiche Indians who can trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization.  They normally speak an Indian dialect called Quiche, however, Spanish is becoming more common.  The climate is basically warm, but it can get very cold at night.  Houses in this area are typically constructed of adobe with tin sheet or tile roofs and dirt floors.  Pasojoc III is an area rich with natural resources.  It is a farming area where the inhabitants grow staples such as corn, beans and other types of vegetables.  Many families also raise domestic animals such as sheep, goats, cows and chickens.  Many of the families travel to the coast for several months each year to find work cutting cane or coffee.  Sadly, many of the children do not go to school because of lack of economic resources and because of the sheer distance they would have to walk to reach school.  As a result, the majority of the people are unable to read or write.  Many of the teenagers leave home at an early age to search for employment in other areas in Guatemala.

Hello, my name is Matilde de la Cruz Gutierrez.  I was born on February 26, 2006 and I am thirteen years old.  I am a basically healthy child.  I have four brothers and six sisters.  One of my sisters also attends the feeding program and we walk about 20 minutes to get to the program.  My father’s name is Nazario and he is a farmer.  My mother’s name is Catarina and she is a housewife.  We have some domestic animals such as sheep, hens and a pig that we sell when they are grown to help with our expenses.  We do not travel to the coast to work as many families do.  We own the house in which we live.  It is adobe with a tin roof and a dirt floor.  We have water and electricity.  I am in 5^th grade.  My favorite color is pink and my favorite animal is the rabbit.  The foods that I like best are black beans and eggs.  In my free time, I like to play ball.  My family attends an Evangelical church.

With much love and many blessings,

Matilde de la Cruz Gutierrez       

Translated by: Edwina Lyons/AAC Missionary