My Story

Tunajá is a very primitive area of the state of Quiché, Guatemala.  The inhabitants are Quiché Indians who trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization.  The prevalent language is the Indian 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 Tunajá is extremely difficult.

Hello! May God bless you! I feel happy to greet you for the first time. My name is Leonardo Jose Luis. I want to introduce myself to you. I am 7 years old. I was born on September 27, 2017. I am a healthy boy. In my free time, I like playing soccer. My favorite color is yellow. I like dogs. I love eating beef soup. I am attending kindergarten at school. I have three brothers and three sisters. I normally walk for 10 minutes to arrive at the feeding program with my sister Yensi. Thankfully, my whole family is in good health. We are members of the Prince of Peace Church.

Sadly, my biological father did not legally recognize me, and I do not know anything about him. My mother´s name is Gregoria Luis Morales. She does the housework, but she also struggles to support us by weaving, washing clothes for others and raising chickens for selling. She has established a new relationship with Mr. Jose Rodriguez. He is 45 years old and is a day laborer. He started living with us about one month ago. Besides that, he helps us economically.

My parents own the house where we live. The house has one room and a separate kitchen. It has adobe walls, tin sheet roof and dirt floor. There is electricity that my mother pays every year. She usually pays Q200.00 = $26.67 for the service. We have many necessities, but the main one is groceries. Lastly, I want you to know that my mother gave all this information to the LW team to share with you. Thank you for your love without knowing me. I appreciate that you took the time to read about me. I look forward to writing you soon.

Best wishes,

Leonardo Jose Luis

Translated by: Mireya de Sandoval, AAC Secretary / Antigua