My Story

PT0049                                     

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 Indians who can trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization.  They normally speak an Indian 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.  Many of the families travel to the coast for several months each year to find work cutting cane or coffee.  Sadly, many of the children do not go to school because of lack of economic resources and because of the sheer distance they would have to walk to reach school.  As a result, the majority of the people are unable to read or write.  Many of the teenagers leave home at an early age to search for employment in other areas in Guatemala.

Hello, my name is Margarita Grave Tziquin.  I was born on August 10, 2011 and I am eight years old.  I am a healthy child.  I have two brothers and one sister. I walk about 10 minutes to get to the feeding program.  Sadly, my father passed away about two years ago.  In addition to that, my mother abandoned me when I was two years old.  I live with my brother, and he and his wife take care of my needs.  His name is Encarnacion and he travels to the coast to work on a farm each month.  When he is here, he also farms the land.  My sister-in-law’s name is Rosa and she is a housewife.  We own the house in which we live.  It is one room with a separate kitchen.  It is adobe with a tin roof and a dirt floor.  We have water and electricity.  We have some domestic animals such as: pigs, chickens and dogs.  I am not in school yet, so I spend my time playing with my dolls.  My favorite color is red and my favorite animal is the rabbit.  The foods that I like best are apples and fried chicken.  My family attends a Charismatic church.

With much love and many blessings,

Margarita Grave Tziquin

Translated by: Edwina Lyons/AAC Missionary