My Story

Cuatro Caminos "four roads", where your child lives, is an area located high on the side of a mountain in the state of Quiché, 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 Quiché Indians who inhabit this area trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization.  They normally speak an Indian dialect called Quiché - however, Spanish is becoming more common.  Very little money ever changes hands in this area as they live on a barter system.

I am Yeimy Griselda Garcia Benito and am so happy to greet you today. I hope you are doing well and enjoying the richest blessings from our Lord God. Thank you for letting me introduce myself to you. I am 9 years old and I was born in Zacualpa on February 6, 2017. My health is good thanks to God. I am in the 1^st grade. My hobby is playing with dolls with my three sisters. I like green and my favorite animal is the cow. I love eating fried chicken. My school is near the feeding program. For that reason, I only walk for 10 minutes to arrive there.

Rolando Garcia Bento is my father and Micaela Benito Riz is my mother. My father is a day laborer while my mother raises chickens and pigs for selling to help with the family income. Thank God, my parents enjoy good health. We do not attend any church yet.

We all live together in our own house made of adobe, tin sheet roof and cemented floor. There are two rooms and a separate kitchen. We get our water from a nearby river through a hose. We have electricity service and my father pays for it every month. Our domestic animals are chickens and pigs. Our main necessities as a family are clothes, shoes and groceries. Thank you so much for loving me from the distance. I appreciate that you dedicate your time to know more about me. I send you my love and many hugs.

In Jesus’ name,

Yeimy Griselda Garcia Romero

Translated by: Mireya de Sandoval, AAC Secretary / Antigua