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! This is Jordan Gabriel and I will turn 11 years old. I was born in November 23, 2012. I come from a big humble family. There are 14 members in my family. I have eight brothers and three sisters. Two of my daughters are registered in the feeding program also. My parents´ names are Carlos Chingo Cux and Micaela Benito Gutierrez de Chingo. My dad supports us by working as farmer and a day laborer while my mom dedicates her time to taking care of the house and us.

I am a healthy boy. I do not attend school because I do not like it since I am too shy. For that reason, I sometimes stay at home and play football and other times, I go to work with my father. I like cows and the color blue. My favorite dish is fried chicken. I enjoy attending the feeding program. However, I have to walk for 15 minutes to the road and then take a bus to the program for five more minutes. We do not attend any church at the moment.

We do not own a house, but our maternal grandmother loans us one. We do not pay anything for rent. The house is made of adobe, tin sheet roof and dirt floor. It has just one room, so my father built a provisional kitchen with only a tin sheet roof. My mother has to cook in the floor. There is a well in the house where we get the water with plastic buckets, so we do not pay for it. One uncle shares electricity, so my father also shares the payment with him. Our domestic animals are cows and chickens. As a family, we are in need or food, shoes and clothes. Lastly, I want to mention that my oldest sister Maria Elizabeth gave this information to the LW teacher. Thank you so much for your attention. I pray God blesses you even more for your good heart to help Guatemalan children like me. I love you so much.

Best regards from now on,

Jordan Gabriel Chingo Benito

Translated by: Mireya de Sadoval, AAC Secretary / Antigua