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 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.

Good morning, my name is Yesenia Roxana Chibalan Toma and I feel so privileged to share my personal information. I was born on November 2, 2021 and I am a healthy four-year-old girl. I like to eat rice and beans and I love rabbit. I love pink and I enjoy playing with my dolls at home because I am not enrolled at school yet due to my young age. I am so happy because I receive delicious meals in the project from this ministry which is located in the local school at Pasojoc I. My mother accompanies me and we walk about thirty minutes to arrive there. My father`s name is Manuel David Chibalan Hernandez and my mother`s name is Juanita Toma Garcia. My father earns a living by working as a day laborer and he also is a farmer.  Moreover, he travels to the coast to pick coffee beans from November to January in order to earn extra money to sustain our family financially, while my mother looks after us and raises hens and pigs to sell and get some income. We are a needy family, so our current needs are groceries and corn. Thankfully my parents and whole family are doing fine and we are blessed because we belong to the Prince of Peace Christian Church. I have two brothers and one sister and my brother Elmer belongs to this beautiful project. We live in my grandparent`s house and my aunts live with us. We have three rooms and one separated kitchen. The rooms are made of adobe walls with tile roof and dirt floors. We have water and electricity in the house and my parents and relatives pay for the services. This was my little story and I hope you find it interesting to read. I send you all my love!

A bunch of hugs,

Yesenia Roxana Chibalan Toma

Translated by: Gladys Chavez, AAC Secretary-Antigua