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 Leonza Tzoy Riz. I was born on September 28, 2015, and I am 6 years old. I am a healthy girl, and I am not attending school yet due to my age. I keep playing at home, and I like to play on the swing. I love the color pink and cats. My favorite foods are rice and noodles. I only have one brother. I live about 30 minutes away from the feeding program. We are attending the Catholic Church.

I only live with my mother because my father abandoned us and did not want to legally recognize me. My mother’s name is Ana Tzoy Riz, and she is a housewife. My uncle, Encarnacion Calachij, contributes to cover my expenses; he is in the United States. We do not have our own house, so we live with my grandfather, Mariano Tzoy Simaj, who works as a farmer. The house has two rooms and one kitchen, and they are made of adobe and tin sheets. We have electricity, but we do not have running water; we use jars to bring water from a small river. This is my personal information, and I hope you can find it interesting.

Blessings and hugs

Leonza Tzoy Riz

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio/AAC Secretary, Antigua