My Story

Tunaja is a small area of the state of Quiché, Guatemala. The inhabitants are Quiché Mayans who trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization. The prevalent language is the Mayani dialect - Quiché. The people are either farmers or shepherds and live off the fruits of their labors. Very little money ever changes hands as they use a barter system. Public education is available - however, most families cannot afford it. Electricity and running water are not available in most of the area. Life in Tunaja is difficult.

Hello, my name is Gerardo Maximiliano. I am 8 years old. I was born on October 27^th, 2015, in Joyabaj, Quiche. I am in the 1^st grade at school and I am not repeating. I like playing football. My favorite animal is the dog, and my favorite color is green. I love eating fried chicken. My health is good. I like attending the feeding program and I usually walk for 5 minutes. My family attends the Prince of Peace Church in Tunaja.

I live with both of my parents and they work hard to support us. My father´s name is Carlos Garcia Barrera. He is a merchant, but also drives a tuc-tuc. My mother´s name is Estela Ruiz Chingo de Garcia. She does the housework and is a merchant like my father. She improves the incomes by raising domestic animals. I have two brothers and three sisters from which one brother and one sister are part of the feeding program also. Our greatest necessity as a family is groceries.

We are happy to have our own humble house. We do not share the house with any relative. It has five rooms besides the kitchen. The rooms are made of block, tin sheet roof and cemented floors. There is electricity that my parents pay for monthly and running water that is paid annually. Our domestic animals are chickens and cats Thank you for helping me through Living Water. May God reward you ever more!

Best regards from now on,

Gerardo Maximiliano Garcia Ruiz

Translated by: Mireya de Sadoval, AAC Secretary / Antigua