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 and somewhat isolated from the outside world. 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 has 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.

I greet you in the name of Jesus hoping you are doing well! I am Yenifer Marleny Torquiz Tzoy, and I turn 6 years old this year. My birthdate is May 16, 2020. I live happily with my parents and two sisters. My father is Rafael Torquiz Panjoj, and he makes a living as a construction assistant. My mother is Marta Alicia Tzoy Toj. She is a housewife and raises hens, pigs and a cow for selling. Moreover, she embroiders blouses to sell.

I am so excited to share with you some things about myself. I am in Pre-kindergarten this year. I enjoy playing with my dolls at home. I love eating fried chicken. I love the color purple, and the animal I like the most is the rabbit. At the moment, we do not attend any church. We are living in my paternal great-grandfather´s house. There is only one room with a kitchen. The house is made of one part of adobe and one part of tin sheet including the roof, and a dirt floor. We have running water, but no electricity. My grandmother shares electricity with us, and my parents take turns to pay the bill every month. We are a humble family and our greatest needs are groceries and clothes. I am so excited to be enrolled in the feeding program; I attend alongside my mother and siblings and we walk 30 minutes to arrive. Well, this is all for now and I would like to hear from you very soon. Every blessing over you!

Lots of love,

Yenifer Marleny Torquiz Tzoy

Translated by: Violeta Hernandez / A-A-C Secretary-Antigua Guatemala