My Story

Tunaja is a small area of the state of Quiché, Guatemala. The inhabitants are Quiché Mayans who trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization. The prevalent language is the Mayan dialect - Quiché. The people are either farmers or shepherds and live off the fruits of their labors. Very little money ever changes hands as they use a barter system. Public education is available - however, most families cannot afford it. Electricity and running water are not available in most of the area. Life in Tunaja is difficult.

Hello! I am Maycol Jared and I turned 7 years old. I was born on August 30^th, 2016 in Joyabaj, Quiche. I come from a humble family in which I am an only child. My father´s name is Victoriano Morente Ruiz. He supports our family by driving a tuc-tuc that belongs to the family. My mother´s name is Maria Elena Ruiz Luis de Morente. She traveled to The United States 2 years ago and said that she was planning to travel first and then arrange everything so that my father and I could do the same. Unfortunately, after 2 months while she was there, she met another man and stopped communicating and sending us money. That is the reason why my father struggles hard to cover our needs as well as my grandmother.

We live with my paternal grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins. The house belongs to my grandma, so we do not pay any rent. She helps us economically by weaving. The house has three rooms and one separate kitchen. It is made of adobe and cemented walls, tile roof and cemented floors. There is running water and electricity that my paternal grandfather pays monthly. We have domestic animals such as cows, turkeys and pigs. Our main need as a family is food. At the moment, we are not members of any church, but we thank the LW team that encouraged us to attend one.

I am a healthy boy thanks to God. I attend kindergarten at school. My favorite sport is football. I like the color blue and rabbits. I love to eat fried chicken. I feel happy to attend the feeding program and it takes me 5 minutes to arrive there since I live nearby. I thank my grandma for giving this information to the LW teacher because I am excited that you can read this. I send you many kisses and hugs.

Best regards from now on,

Maycol Jared Morente Ruiz

Translated by: Mireya de Sadoval, AAC Secretary / Antigua