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. 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 have 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! This is Keila Yolanda Toj Ruiz, and I am writing this to tell you a little about me. I was born on April 9, 2018, so I am now 5 years old. I am in good health, and I am in pre-kinder this year. I like playing with dolls in my free time. I love the color pink, and my favorite animal is the cat. I really enjoy eating black beans with rice. As a family, we are attending a Methodist Church. My father’s name is Julian Toj Luis, and he works as a farmer and goes to cut sugar cane at the coast for some months to support us. My mother’s name is Gregoria Ruiz de la Cruz, and she works hard at home and takes care of us.  I have four brothers and three sisters; two of them are part of the feeding program too.

We live in our own house, and it has two rooms and a separate kitchen. The house is made of adobe with a tin sheet roof and concrete floor. Thankfully, we have running water and electricity services. We have hens and pigs as domestic animals. We are a humble family, and our greatest needs are groceries and clothes. I walk for one hour to arrive at the feeding program, but there are times that I take a moto-taxi to get there. I tell you that my mom helped me to give this information to an Evangelism teacher, and I am happy to be part of this Ministry.  I thank you for reading my information, and I hope you find it interesting.

Many blessings

Keila Yolanda Toj Ruiz

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio/A-A-C Secretary, Antigua Guatemala