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.

It is my pleasure to greet you by this means. I am happy to share my personal information with someone special like you. My name is Catarina Morente de Leon. I am 6 years old. I was born on March 18, 2020, in Zacualpa Quiche. I am too young to attend school. I like pink and cats. I enjoy eating noodles. I like playing with dolls. I am a healthy girl. I feel blessed to be part of the feeding program. My paternal uncle takes me to the program every time because it is 40 minutes’ walk from my house.

My maternal grandmother gives us a place to live along with her and some uncles. The house has three rooms and one kitchen. It is made of tin sheet roof, adobe and block walls and dirt floor. There is no running water, just electricity. This service is paid for every month, and they divide the expense every time. We get our water from a nearby forest brook. Our domestic animals are chickens and goats.

My father, Tomas Mornete Aquino, travels to the coast to the coffee plantation for 6 months. He comes home for a week and then goes back to the coast. My mother, siblings and I stay at home while my father travels. My mother, Florinda de Leon Pastor is a housewife. She raises chickens and goats to sell. I have one brother and one sister. As a family, we attend the Prince of Peace Church. Thank God, all of them are in good health. Some of our needs as a family are food and clothes. Alright, thank you so much for reading this. I look forward to writing to you again. May God bless you and protect you wherever you are!

With lots of love,

Catarina Morente de Leon

Translated by: Mireya de Sandoval, AAC Secretary / Antigua