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 Noe Adan Ruben and I am five years old. I was born in Zacualpa, Quiche on September 30, 2018. I do not attend the school due to my young age. I am healthy and I like playing with toy cars. I like dogs and my favorite color is blue. I love eating fried chicken. I have one brother and two sisters. One of my sisters is registered in the feeding program too. We usually walk for 15 minutes to attend the program.

I do not know anything about my biological father because he did not legally recognize me. My mother lives with us and supports us. Her name is Maria Coj. She is a housemaker but also weaves and raises domestic animals. My brother is studying in The United States, but he also works in his free time. He sends money to my family for support. We attend the Assembly of God Church.

We live in our grandmother´s church. Two uncles and children also live there. The house has four rooms and a kitchen made of block walls, tin sheet roof and cemented floor. We have running water and electricity, but my grandmother is in charge of paying for both services. As a family, we are in need of food. We have some chickens as domestic animals. Thank you so much for your attention to this history. I appreciate that are interested in reading it. May God bless you! Take care!

Best regards from now on,

Noe Adan Ruben Coj

Translated by: Mireya de Sadoval, AAC Secretary / Antigua