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 Victor German Tzoy Bartolo. I was born on December 6, 2016, and I am 5 years old. I am a healthy boy, and I am still too young to attend school. I keep playing toy cars and soccer at home. I love blue, and I like hens. My favorite food is fried chicken. I have two brothers. I live about 45 minutes away from the feeding program; my aunts are part of the program too, and I walk there with them. We are attending Prince of Peace Church.

I am under the care of my parents. My father’s name is Ciriaco Tzoy De La Cruz, and he works as a farmer and day laborer. Every year, he goes to cut sugar cane at the coast for four to six months. My mother’s name is Lidia Bartolo Mucia, and she is a housewife and raises some hens. We do not own a house, so we live with my paternal grandparents. The house only has one room and one kitchen, so we share them with my grandparents as well as the home expenses. The house is made of adobe with a tin sheet roof and dirt floor. We use candles at night because we do not have electricity, and we use hoses to bring water from a natural spring. This is my personal information, and I hope you can find it interesting.

Hugs and kisses

Victor German Tzoy Bartolo

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio/AAC Secretary, Antigua