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 Oscar Oswaldo Morente De La Cruz. I was born on January 3, 2012, and I am 9 years old. I am a healthy boy. I would like to study, but I cannot do it due to our economic situation. Recently, the school was remodeled, so we have to pay a fee to be able to be registered in it; unfortunately, my mother does not have the money for it. I keep playing with my toy cars and playing soccer. I love red, and I like doves. My favorite food is fried chicken. I have three brothers and one sister. I live about 25 minutes away from the feeding program, and I always walk to the program accompanied by my brother, Maynor, who is part of it too.

My biological father did not legally recognized me, so I am only under the responsibility of my mother. My mother’s name is Maria Morente De La Cruz, and she frequently goes to work in a tortillas business in Guatemala City. She stays there for two or three months, and during that time, I stay under the care of my maternal grandparents. My mother does her best to cover the home expenses. My grandfather farms the land and works as a day laborer to contribute with the home income while my grandmother is attentive to the house. My whole family goes to pick coffee beans at the coast for two months when it is the harvest season.

We do not have our own house, so we live with my maternal grandparents. The house has two rooms, and we use one. We share the kitchen and the home expenses with them. The rooms are made of adobe with a tin sheet roof. We have running water, but we do not have electricity, so we have to use candles at night and a small solar panel to get light. We are attending Christian Life Church. This is my personal information, and I hope you can find it interesting.

With much love

Oscar Oswaldo Morente De La Cruz

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio/AAC Secretary, Antigua