My Story

Chixocol, where your child lives, is a very small village nestled in a mountain valley in the state of Quiché, Guatemala. Life in this state is very difficult and somewhat isolated from the outside world. Most families live in one-room adobe houses with dirt floors and a small, attached kitchen. The extremely poor live in houses made of corn stalks. In the past few years electricity and water have become available to most people in the area - however, indoor plumbing is very rare. Most of the families are farmers or shepherds and live off the fruits of their labors. Public education is available for those who can afford it and consider it of value. Life in Quiché is always a challenge.

Hello! I am very happy to share my information through Living Water. My full name is Maria Abigail Garcia Simaj. I was born on March 26, 2022, in Joyabaj, Quiche, Guatemala. I am now 4 years old. I am not attending school yet. Now, I enjoy playing with my dolls at home. My favorite color is pink. I like dinosaurs. I love eating eggs with tortillas. I live with my parents, three brothers and one sister. Samuel Garcia de la Cruz is my father. He works as a day laborer and he travels once a year to pick coffee beans on the coast. He is very responsible for our family. Juana Simaj Toj de Garcia is my mother. She does the household work and raises hens, and sometimes, she sells some hens. Our pets are some dogs.

By the grace of God, my whole family is doing well. We are members of a Christian Church. Thanks to God, my father owns the house in which we live. There are two adobe rooms with a tin sheet roof and a dirt floor. There is a kitchen. We have running water and electricity services. The water is a yearly payment, and the electricity is a monthly payment; my parents pay for them. Our greatest needs are groceries and corn. I am very happy and blessed to be part of the feeding program, and I walk 30 minutes to get there. My mom usually takes me to the program. It is a blessing to know someone who may want to know about me. I pray God will bless you today and every day!

Lots of love,

Maria Abigail Garcia Simaj

Translated by: Violeta Hernandez, A-A-C Secretary-Antigua