My Story

Jocotenango, where your child lives, is in the state of Sacatepéquez, Guatemala and is a suburb of Antigua. It is an urban environment and is inhabited by both Quiché Mayans and Ladinos (those with mixed European ancestry). Most of the children attend school, but financial hardship affects many families and forces most of the children to leave after the sixth grade. Only one out of ten children finish high school. Children in this area face temptations from gangs and drugs.

Hello! My name is Cielo de Estrella Xinic Gallina. I am a healthy child who was born on August 31, 2012. Currently, I am 11 years old, and I am not attending school; I hope to study next year. I stay at home coloring in my free time. I love the color pink, and I like rabbits. My favorite food is chicken. I have four brothers and five sisters; one of them is registered at the feeding program too. At the moment, my family and I are not attending church. My father’s name is Julian Xinic Chacon, and he works as a farmer on a farm to support us. My mother’s name is Maria Isabel Gallina Arriola, and she works hard at home.

We live in our own house, and it has two rooms; we use one as a bedroom and one as a kitchen. The house is made of concrete block with a tin sheet roof and concrete floor. Thankfully, we have running water and electricity services. We are a humble family, and our frequent needs are groceries; I ask you to keep us in your prayers. I walk for 15 minutes to arrive at the feeding program. My mom helped me to give this information to a LW Evangelism teacher. I thank you for reading my little letter, and I hope you find it interesting.

With much love

Cielo de Estrella Xinic Gallina

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio/A-A-C Secretary, Antigua Guatemala