My Story

PT0069                                     

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 Francisco Hernandez Ralios.  I was born on February 25, 2006 and I am thirteen years old.  I am a healthy child.  I have two brothers and four sisters.  I walk about one hour to get here to the feeding program at Pasojoc III, and I walk three hours to get to the program at Pasojoc I on Saturday.  My father’s name is Marcos and he is a farmer.  All of my family travels to the coast to work during the coffee harvest at the end of the year.  My mother’s name is Dominga and she is a housewife.  She also takes care of our domestic animals.  We own the house in which we live.  It is made of wood with a tin roof and a dirt floor.  The house has two rooms and a separate kitchen.  We do not have water or electricity.  We use candles for lighting and we carry our water from the river.  We have two hens, a pig, a turkey and a dog.  I am not in school yet, so I spend my time playing ball.  My favorite color is orange and my favorite animal is the cat.  The food that I like best is fried chicken.  My family attends a Charismatic church.

With much love and many blessings,

Francisco Hernandez Ralios

Translated by: Edwina Lyons/AAC Missionary