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 Mayani 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, my name is Kelin Mariela and I am 7 years old. I was born in Joyabaj, Quiche on October 19, 2016. I am still in kindergarten because I had my birthday in October. I like the color yellow, and my favorite animal is the dog. My hobbies are playing with dolls and teddies. My favorite dish is chicken with typical Guatemalan sauce. My family and I attend the Full Gospel Church. I like attending the feeding program and I usually walk for 15 minutes to be there.

I have a small family of four members. My father´s name is Ciriaco Toj Morente and my mother is Gladys Garcia Ruiz. I only have one brother and no sisters yet. We all live together in Tunaja. My father works in an agricultural store in Joyabaj from Sunday to Friday. Meanwhile, my mother takes care of the house and us, but she tries to help with the expenses by weaving typical napkins to sell. We have many necessities to cover but the greatest is food.

Fortunately, my father owns a house in which my family lives alone. There is one room besides the kitchen. It has cemented floors, adobe walls and tin sheet roof. We have electricity service that my parents pay every month. Nevertheless, we do not have running water at home, so one neighbor gives us water for Q50 = $6.25 a month. We have some domestic animals at home such as chickens. Lastly, I want you to know that my mother gave all this information to the LW team. I feel happy that they will share it with you so you can know me better. Thank you for reading it and I hope you are well. I send you many blessings!

Best regards from now on,

Kelin Mariela Toj Garcia

Translated by: Mireya de Sadoval, AAC Secretary / Antigua