My Story

Cuatro Caminos "four roads", where your child lives, is an area located high on the side of a mountain in the state of Quiché, Guatemala.  Life is this area is very difficult and very isolated from the outside world.  It is a two hour walk to the nearest market town of Zacualpa.  Cuatro Caminos is a farming area where corn and black beans, the staple elements in their diet, are the major crops.  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 Claudia Esperanza Ajqui Ramirez and I am eleven years old. I was born on July 13, 2010. I attend the Cuatro Caminos feeding program. I am a healthy girl. I have one brother and one sister. I am studying in the fifth grade at school. I receive my classes once per week. I like to feed our domestic animals and watch TV programs. My favorite color is yellow and my favorite animal is the rabbit. I really like to eat roast beef. My father´s name is Angel Anibal Ajqui Mendez, and my mother´s name is Santana Ramirez Ramirez. My father is living and working in the United States. He works in a restaurant, and fortunately, he sends money to cover the home expenses. My mother does the household chores and takes care of us. She raises hens and pigs. We have our own house which is made of adobe, tin sheet roof and cement floor. We have three rooms, one kitchen and one dining room. We have electricity and running water. My neighbors, my friends from school and I attend the feeding program, and we walk about twenty minutes to arrive. My family and I attend Catholic Church.

Hugs and many blessings,

Claudia Esperanza Ajqui Ramirez

Translated by: Esther Hernández, AAC Secretary/Antigua