My Story

Pasojoc 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 more than a two hour walk to the nearest market town of Zacualpa. Pasojoc is a farming area where corn and black beans, the staple elements in their diet, are the major corps. 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 full name is Yeimy Samantha Garcia Ruiz, and I am so happy to greet you by means of this letter. How are you doing? I am 5 years old, and I want to use this opportunity to share a little about my life with you. I was born on March 17, 2021. I am in pre-kinder and I love having refried beans and eggs for my meals. My favorite color is red. I like dogs, and I have a lot of fun playing with my toy dishes in my free time. I tell you that it is a big blessing for me to be part of LW-Adopt A Child. I can enjoy my meals alongside my sisters from the feeding program at a local school here in my village, Pasojoc one. We usually walk ten minutes to get there. On vacation, we walk about one hour from where we live to get to the main feeding program. About my family, I tell you that I have four sisters, but no brothers.

My mother’s name is Erica Yolanda Ruiz Garcia de Garcia. She is dedicated to taking care of our family, while my father works in the field as a farmer and a day laborer. His name is Pedro Garcia Garcia. Fortunately, everybody is doing well. We are a Christian family and attend Jesus Christ Church-The Good Pastor. The house where we live belongs to my grandparents. It is made of adobe walls with tin sheet roof and dirt floor. It has five rooms and a kitchen; we only use one room of the house because some of my uncles and their families live there, too. We have electricity thanks to our neighbor, who shares the service with us. We contribute to cover the expenses monthly. There is no running water at home, but there is a nearby spring from where we can get water by using a hose. Thank you so much for reading my information!

Best wishes

Yeimy Samantha Garcia Ruiz

Translated by: Hillary Popol, A-A-C Secretary/Antigua