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 Brenda Maribel Calachij Coj. I was born on December 5, 2010, and I am 11 years old. I am a healthy girl, and I am in fourth grade this year. I keep playing with my dolls at home. I love pink, and I like hens. My favorite food is grilled meat. I have three brothers and three sisters. I live about one hour away from the feeding program; my oldest sister, Maria, is part of the program too. We are part of a Charismatic group that belongs to the Catholic Church.

I am under the care of my parents. My father’s name is Genaro Calachij Gutierrez, and he works as a farmer and day laborer. He and my four older siblings go to pick coffee beans at the coast for two or three months. My mother’s name is Manuela Coj Garcia, and she is a housewife and raises hens. We live in our own house which has two rooms and one kitchen; they are made of adobe with a tin sheet roof and dirt floor. We have running water and electricity. This is my personal information, and I hope you can find it interesting.

Blessings and hugs

Brenda Maribel Calachij Coj

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio/AAC Secretary, Antigua