My Story

Pasojoc III, where your child lives, is located in an extremely remote area of the mountains in Quiche, Guatemala.  Life in this area is very difficult and very isolated from the outside world. It is a 3-hour walk to the nearest market town.  The people who inhabit the area are Quiche Mayans who can trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization.  They normally speak a Mayan dialect called Quiche, however, Spanish is becoming more common.  The climate is basically warm, but it can get very cold at night.  Houses in this area are typically constructed of adobe with tin sheet or tile roofs and dirt floors.  Pasojoc III is an area rich with natural resources.  It is a farming area where the inhabitants grow staples such as corn, beans and other types of vegetables.  Many families also raise domestic animals such as sheep, goats, cows and chickens.

Hello! I feel so happy to send you my personal information and I hope you find it interesting to read. My name is Deisy Joselin Marleni Riz Ajqui and I am a healthy seven-year-old-girl. I am in 1^st grade this year. I like to play toy cars with my brother. I love color blue and rabbits. My favorite meal is fried chicken. I only have one brother. As a family, we belong to the Christian Life Church. My biological father`s name is Andres Riz Hernandez, but he does not live with us because he abandoned the family four years ago. Now, he has a new partner. We know nothing about him and only my mother is providing for our needs. Her name is Juana Ajqui Simaj and she takes care of us and also works as a typical day laborer in our village. We are a needy family, so our current needs are groceries and clothing. My mother would like to have some chicks and we have enough space for them in the house. My cousin accompanies me to the local school from Pasojoc I because we take our lunch there. We walk thirty minutes to come.

The house where we live belongs to my father, but we do not know how much longer we will be living there because my paternal grandmother has told us that someday my father will come with his new partner to live here, and we will need to find another place. Unfortunately, we do not have another house to live in, so my mother is asking for your prayers for our family and that our God takes control of the situation. The house consists of one room made with adobe, tin sheet roof and dirt floor with a separated kitchen. We do not have electricity, so we use candles at night and our neighbors give us water. Sometimes, we need more water to do laundry and they get angry with my mother because she does not have any money to pay them. Sometimes, we go to wash our clothing in the river, but we need to walk one hour to go and one hour to return. My mother would like to have chicks at home because we have enough space for them. I would like to ask for your prayers for my family. Well, thank you for your attention and may God bless you greatly!

Yours truly,

Deisy Joselin Marleni Riz Ajqui

Translated By: Gladys de Catavi, AAC Secretary-Antigua