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.

Hello, my name is Jaime Eduardo Alexander Luis Garcia. I am so happy to share about me for the first time. I was born in Joyabaj Quiche on July 23, 2022. I am 4 years old, and I am not at school yet. I enjoy playing tag and eating fried chicken. My favorite color is blue, and my favorite pet is the dog. Since I was a child, I have been diagnosed with pneumonia. Besides that, I am underweight according to the Public Health Center, so they are giving me vitamins. I have no brothers, just 3 sisters. My mother is the one who brings me to the program because we have to walk about 40 minutes to get there.

My father´s name is Paulo Luis Xirum and my mother´s name is Lorenza Garcia. My father works as a farmer or day laborer while my mother takes care of us and the house. She contributes some money by raising chickens to sell. About their health, I would like to ask for your prayers because my father suffers from constant headaches, but he does not take medicine due to our low resources. Besides that, my mother went to the Health Center too, and after a checkup, they told her that she has a cyst. Unfortunately, she is not under treatment due to our lack of money. I have only three sisters, and one of them does not live with us. She lives with my grandparents.

Thank God, we live in our own house. There is one room made of adobe and tin sheet walls, tin sheet roof and dirt floor. Our kitchen is made of tin sheets. We use candles at night. One of our neighbors has a water source, so we get our water from there, but we have to pay him Q100.00 = US $13.33 annually. It is hard for my parents due to our low resources. Our domestic animals are just chickens. Our greatest needs are groceries, corn, clothes and shoes. Well, this is a little of my life. Thank you so much for your attention and especially thank you so much for your prayers. I send you my love and best wishes.

Best regards,

Jaime Eduardo Alexander Luis Garcia

Translated by: Mireya de Sandoval, AAC Secretary / Antigua