My Story

Jocotenango, where your child lives, is in the state of Sacatepéquez, Guatemala and is a suburb of Antigua.  It is an urban environment and is inhabited by both Quiché Indians and Ladinos (those with mixed European ancestry).  Most of the children attend school, but financial hardship affects many families and forces most of the children to leave after the sixth grade.  Only one out of ten children finishes high school.  Children in this area face temptations from gangs and drugs.

Hello, my name is Camilla Evangeline Mcnutt Chamorro. I was born on May 06, 2016 and I am 5 years old. I am a healthy girl. My father’s name is Billy Alberto Mcnutt Samayoa and he legally recognized me but he has never lived with me. He gives my mother money to cover my needs and I keep in touch with him; I also go out with him. I have one youngest sister but she was not legally recognized by her biological father. Practically, her father abandoned her because he has never contributed with her expenses. Fortunately, my father helps my mother with my sister’s expenses. My mother’s name is Alba Maria Chamorro Golon and she works as an accounting assistant. She works from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm from Monday to Friday, so my maternal grandmother and aunt take care of my sister and me. My grandmother is a retired worker so she receives a small pension from the Guatemalan Social Security Institute and covers her needs by her own.

The house where we live belongs to my grandmother, and there are five families living in it, including mine. It is a two-storey house. Three uncles and their families live in the second floor, and my aunt’s family and my family live in the first floor. My family consist of my mother, grandmother, sister and me. We have our own room but we share the kitchen, sink and bathroom with my aunt’s family. Our room is made of concrete block with a terrace roof and ceramic floor. We have running water and electricity, and these bills are divided into the five families. My whole family is in good health. In May of this year, my aunt got Covid-19, and due to this situation, all families were in quarantine for about 20 days; only my aunt was the one who got the virus and she is already fine. Our close relatives were providing us food and we could overcome that situation.

I am in kindergarten this year and I am receiving classes online for two hours from Monday to Thursday. I go out to walk and ride my bicycle in my free time. I love pink and purple colors, and I like cats and dogs. My favorite food is fried chicken. I have one dog, one rabbit, one cat and one turtle as pets. I had to take a bus for about 15 minutes to arrive to the feeding program, but due to the pandemic, the program had to close its door. We are members of Glorious Jesus Christ Church and we attend it on Sunday. This is my personal information, and I hope you can find it interesting.

With much love

Camilla Evangeline Mcnutt Chamorro

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio/AAC Secretary, Antigua