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 and I hope you are doing fantastic! It is my pleasure to introduce myself. My name is Marc Eduar Cux Panjoj, and I am 12 years old. I was born on January 6, 2014. My father is Dario Cux Garcia. My mom is Ana Luisa Panjoj Coj. Unfortunately, they are no longer a couple about 6 years ago. My father left to go to the United States 11 years ago. However, he communicates with me by phone and sends me economic support. I do not know what kind of work he does. As for my mother, she got married with another man six years ago and went to live in another place. She is a housewife. I have a sister and a brother. We keep in touch by phone. So, I am living with my maternal grandparents since my mother got married.  My grandma is Rosa Coj and she sells plastic items to get income. My grandpa is Pedro Panjoj Gonzalez, and he makes a living as a day laborer. God has blessed us with good health.

About school, well, I am in 6^th grade this year and I am not repeating my grade. I usually do my homework, and then, I help my grandma to clean the house. I love the color blue, and the animal I like the most is the dog. However, we have a cat as a pet. In our country, we have some edible herbs and my favorite is (hierba mora) nightshade. My grandparents and I are attending the Catholic Church. The house belongs to my grandfather and my uncles and cousins also live there. There are 8 rooms with a separate kitchen. It is a block house with a ceramic floor. We have running water and electricity services. My grandparents pay for those services. At the moment, my greatest needs are groceries and clothes. For me, it is a great blessing to be enrolled in the feeding program; I get there by walking in 10 minutes. This is all for now, but I would like to hear from you very soon. May God bless you wherever you are!

With all my love,

Marc Eduar Cux Panjoj

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