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 Quiche 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! It is a great pleasure for me to greet you through this means. I am Claris Cristina Morente Ruiz. I am happy because I have been registered at the feeding program. I walk for about 30 minutes to arrive at the program. I want to tell you a little about my family and me. I was born on January 30, 2021, so I am already 4 years old. Due to my age, my mother accompanies me to the program. I am not attending school, so I stay at home playing with my dolls. My favorite color is purple, and I like cats. A delicious dish for me is the fried chicken. I am in good health and so is my family. At the moment, we are not attending a church. We are a humble family, and our frequent needs are corn and groceries.  

I was not legally recognized by my father, and I do not have information about him. My mother’s name is Magdalena Morente Ruiz, and she is 47 years old. She is a farmer and grows herbs for selling in the market. I only have one sister, and she is already married; she has one daughter. My mother and I live in my sister’s house, and her husband helps us with the home expenses and pays the electricity service; he is a farmer and travels to the coast. Her house is made of adobe and tin sheets with a tin sheet roof and dirt floor; it has one room and a kitchen. We get water from a river, and we share the electricity service with a church. We have hens and a dog at home. Well, I finish this letter, and I hope you find it interesting. I thank you in advance for reading my information. May God bless you! 

With much love  

Claris Cristina Morente Ruiz 

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio, AAC Secretary-Antigua