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 in 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 Mayans who inhabit this area trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization. They normally speak a Mayan 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 Irma Gricelda Riz Toj. I am in good health. I am 9 years old, and I was born on August 22, 2014. I am in 2^nd grade this year, I enjoy drawing and painting in my free time. My favorite color is purple, I like cows, and what I love eating the most is chicken broth. My family and I attend a Methodist Church. My father’s name is Carlos Riz Garcia, and he covers our needs by working as a bakery clerk in Zacualpa town. My mother’s name is Andrea Toj Benito, and she is a housewife and takes care of my siblings and me; I have two brothers and one sister.

Fortunately, we live in our own house; it belongs to my father, and we share it with my maternal grandparents. The house is made of adobe walls with a tin sheet roof, and dirt floor; it has three rooms, a separate kitchen, running water and electricity. My parents pay for these services. Besides that, we have hens, cows and sheep. Some of our needs are groceries, so I also need you to pray for God to bless my parents with the income to support me with my studies. I enjoy attending the feeding program, and I walk 30 minutes to arrive. Before saying goodbye, I want you to know that my mother came to register me, and she gave all this information for my enrollment process. May God bless you, and I will be waiting to hear from you soon.

Cordially Yours,

Irma Gricelda Riz Toj

Translated by: Luisa Reyes /A-A-C Secretary/ Guatemala