Cuatro Caminos "four roads", where your child lives, is an area located high on the side of a mountain in the state of Quiche, 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 Quiche - 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 Tereso Ancelmo Toj Simaj, and I am in good health. I was born on June 3, 2016, so I will turn 10 at the middle of the year. I am attending school this year, and I am in 1st grade. In my free time, I like playing with my toy cars. My favorite dish is fried chicken, and I love the color black. The animal that I like the most is the sheep. My family and I believe in God, and we attend a church. I have two brothers and four sisters, and two of them are registered at the feeding program too. We walk for 40 minutes to arrive at the program.  

My parents are in good health, and their names are Juan Toj Cux and Felipa Simaj Garcia. My father works as a farmer and day laborer. My mother keeps busy doing all the household chores and taking care of the family; she sometimes sells the hens she raises. We live in our own house, and it is made of concrete block with a concrete roof and ceramic floor. It has three rooms and a separated kitchen, and we have running water and electricity. We have hens at home. We are a humble family, and our frequent needs are corn and groceries. I end this hoping you find it interesting.  

Sincerely yours 

Tereso Ancelmo Toj Simaj 

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio, AAC Secretary/Antigua Guatemala