PT0068                                     

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 Marcelina Angelica de la Cruz Gutierrez.  I was born on February 22, 2015 and I am four years old.  I am a healthy child.  I have three brothers and five sisters.  Four of them also attend the feeding program and we walk five minutes to get here to the feeding program at Pasojoc III.  We walk about 2 hours to get to the program at Pasojoc I on Saturdays.  My father’s name is Pedro and he is a farmer.  He grows corn and beans for our own consumption.  He also travels to the coast to work during the coffee harvest.  My mother’s name is Manuela and she is a housewife.  She has some domestic animals that she sells when necessary.  We own the house in which we live.  It has two rooms made of adobe with a tin roof and a dirt floor.  We have water but we do not have electricity.  We use candles for lighting.  I am not in school yet, so I spend my time playing dolls.  My favorite color is red and my favorite animal is the cat.  The foods that I like best are pineapple and fried chicken.  My family attends a Christian church.

With much love and many blessings,

Marcelina Angelica de la Cruz Gutierrez

Translated by: Edwina Lyons/AAC Missionary