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 Indians 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 Jhonatan Josue Gil Ortiz. My birthdate is November 18^th of 2012, and I turn 12 years old this year. This year I attend 5^th grade. I love our national bird the Quetzal because it is beautiful. My favorite color is green. The meal I love is black beans with cheese. I enjoy playing ball, running, and listening to music in my spare time. I live happily with my father and mother; I have one brother and one sister. By the grace of God, we are doing well. My mother´s name is Ruth Nineth Ortiz Tejada. She does the chores at home and takes care of my siblings and me. My father´s name is Cesar Augusto Gil Marquez. He works for a company as a distributor of medicines in Guatemala City. He sustains our home needs. Our pets are two dogs.

We live in my grandparents’ house; they live there, and some uncles and cousins live there too. The house is made of cement blocks. The roof is part concrete, and the other part is of tin sheets. The floor is one part ceramic, and the other part is cement. We have running water and electricity services; each family pays for th services. I live 5 minutes away from the feeding program and I am very happy to be registered in the program; it is a great blessing for me. I like to participate in the activities they prepare. As a family we are in need of groceries; especially now that everything has increased in price. Thank you for reading my information. May God bless you!

Bunch of hugs,

Jhonatan Josue Gil Ortiz

Translated by: Violeta Hernandez / A-A-C Secretary-Antigua Guatemala