My Story

Chixocol, where your child lives, is a very small village nestled in a mountain valley in the state of Quiché, Guatemala. Life in this state is very difficult and somewhat isolated from the outside world. Most families live in one-room adobe houses with dirt floors and a small attached kitchen. The extremely poor live in houses made of corn stalks. In the past few years electricity and water has become available to most people in the area - however, indoor plumbing is very rare. Most of the families are farmers or shepherds and live off the fruits of their labors. Public education is available for those who can afford it and consider it of value. Life in Quiché is always a challenge.

Hello! My name is Melissa Sofia Gomez Caal and I feel so happy to share with you a little about me. I am five years old and I was born on January 2, 2016. I attend the Chixocol feeding program. I am a healthy girl. I have one brother and one sister. My father´s name is Victor Alfonso Gomez Tzoy. He supplies our needs by working as a farmer and as a day laborer. My mother´s name is Claudia Josefina Caal Chen, and she is a housewife. She raises hens. I am not attending school yet due to my age. I like to spend my time playing dolls and toy dishes. I love to eat fried chicken. My favorite color is red and my favorite animal is the duck. My family and I attend Assembly of God Church Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. We all go to work at the coast in the harvest season. We have our own house which is made of adobe, tin sheet roof and cement floor. We have one room with a separate kitchen. We have running water. We do not have electricity, but we use candles. My mother brings me to the feeding program, and we take about thirty minutes to arrive.

Lots of hugs,

Melissa Sofia Gomez Caal

Translated by: Esther Hernández, AAC Secretary/Antigua