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, it is a pleasure to greet you. I was recently enrolled in the feeding program from Chixocol and I am very happy about this. Let me introduce myself. My name is Dolores Maybelin Viviana Ruiz Morales. I am four years old and I was born on June 7, 2020. This year, I am attending preschool. My favorite color is pink. I like cows and I enjoy eating fried chicken. The time I enjoy the most is when I play in the kitchen and with my dolls. I would like to ask for your prayers because I was born with an ulcer on my bottom, and it has been bothering me constantly. Thank God, my parents took me to the pediatrician who prescribed medicine so that my health condition will improve. Lately I have been feeling some pain in my feet. I live with my family which consists of my father. His name is Jose Ruiz Gutierrez. He supports his family by working as a mason's helper. My mother is Maria Morales Morales. She works as a farmer during the vegetable harvest, and during the rest of the year, she spends time taking care of us and making her chores at home. I have two brothers and three sisters, and four of them are part of the feeding program too.  My parents are also suffering from health problems. My father suffers from back pain and headaches, and my mother suffers from nervous gastritis. They self-medicate due to lack of financial resources. We are members of a Christian church called “Seventh-day Adventist”.

The house where I live is owned by my parents. It has two rooms, a separate kitchen made of adobe walls, tin sheet roof, and dirt floor. We do not have running water at home. A relative shares it with us and my father helps them to pay it; we do not have electricity, so we use candles. Our main necessities are groceries and clothes. At home, there are chickens and dogs. I walk about one hour to arrive to the feeding program. My mom helped me give my information to the evangelism teachers.

Blessings

Dolores Maybelin Viviana Ruiz Morales

Translated by: Lucia Gravez/AAC Secretary