PA1972

Pasojoc 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 more than a two-hour walk to the nearest market town of Zacualpa.  Pasojoc is a farming area where corn and black beans, the staple elements in their diet, are the major corps.  The Quiché Indians who inhabit this area trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization.  They normally speak an Indian 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, my name is Nelson Nazario Ortiz Benito. I was born on April 10, 2014 and I am five years old. I am a basically healthy little boy. I am not attending school yet because I am still too young, so I spend my time playing with balls and toy cars. My favorite color is yellow and my favorite animal is the cat. The food that I like to eat the most is fried chicken. My favorite fruit is watermelon. I have three brothers and three sisters. Three of my siblings are registered in the feeding program and I come with them. We walk about two hours to get to the feeding program. My father’s name is Santos Ortiz and he is a farmer. My mother’s name is Estela Benito and she is a housewife. She also raises chickens that she sells when we have some needs. My father and three of my older siblings travel to work at the coast from October to December. They pick coffee beans there. We live in our own house made of adobe with a tin sheet roof and dirt floor, except  for the kitchen which is made of wooden boards. The house has two rooms. We do not have running water or electricity. We get our water from a well, and we use candles for lighting at night. My family attends a Pentecostal church called Prince of Peace.

With much love and many blessings,

Nelson Nazario Ortiz Benito

Translated by: Lidia Vasquez / AAC Guatemala