My Story

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 Selvia Aracely Ruiz Gonzales. I was born on July 10, 2016, and I am 5 years old. I am a healthy girl, and I am not attending school yet due to my age. I play with my dolls and toy dishes in my free time. I love the color red, and I like rabbits. I like all kinds of food. I have one sister and one brother. I live about 30 minutes away from the feeding program, and I always walk to the program accompanied by my older siblings who are also part of it. We attend King of the Centuries Church. Thank God, my whole family is in good health.

My father’s name is Emilio Ruiz Garcia, and he works as a farmer and day laborer to cover our needs. In addition, he goes to work in the coffee plantations at the coast for some months. My mother’s name is Roselia Gonzales De La Cruz, and she is a housewife and raises hens and pigs to help with the home income. We live in our own house made of adobe with a tin sheet roof and dirt floor; we have two rooms and one kitchen. We do not have electricity, so we use candles, oil lamps and flashlights at nights. We do not have running water either, so one of our neighbors provids it through a hose. This is my personal information, and I hope you can find it interesting.

With much love

Selvia Aracely Ruiz Gonzales

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio/AAC Secretary, Antigua