My Story

Pasojoc III, where your child lives, is located in an extremely remote area of the mountains in Quiche, Guatemala.  Life in this area is very difficult and very isolated from the outside world. It is a 3-hour walk to the nearest market town.  The people who inhabit the area are Quiche Mayans who can trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization.  They normally speak a Mayan dialect called Quiche; however, Spanish is becoming more common.  The climate is basically warm, but it can get very cold at night.  Houses in this area are typically constructed of adobe with tin sheet or tile roofs and dirt floors.  Pasojoc III is an area rich with natural resources.  It is a farming area where the inhabitants grow staples such as corn, beans and other types of vegetables. Many families also raise domestic animals such as sheep, goats, cows and chickens.

Hello, my name is Erika Jacinta Marisol Garcia Rodriguez. I was born on January 24, 2021 and I am 3 years old. I am a healthy girl. I am not enrolled at school this year due to my young age. I spend my spare time playing tag with my sister Lucrecia. My favorite color is pink, and I love sheep. I enjoy eating rice and noodles. I have 3 sisters. One of them is part of the Feeding Program.  I want to tell you that I walk to the program in about twenty minutes.  We are members of the Catholic Church. I am under the care of my parents. My father’s name is Mario Garcia de la Cruz. He lives with us. Currently, he is not working because he suffered a stroke, and his left hand and leg became paralyzed, and he lost the strength in his body and cannot stand. He has not visited the doctor due to a lack of financial resources. My mother’s name is Micaela Rodriguez Morales, she is a healthy woman. She is a housewife, and she works as a day laborer. Moreover, she washes clothes for others in order to earn some money to cover our economic needs. In addition, she raises hens and turkeys to sell and get some income.

We live in our paternal grandparent’s house. They and some relatives of my mother live with us. The house has two rooms and one separated kitchen. Our house is made of adobe, tin sheet roof and dirt floors. We do not have running water, but we get it from a nearby river by connecting a hose. We have electricity and my relatives share the service payment with my mother. As a humble family, our current needs are groceries and clothes. We have domestic animals at home. We would like to have some chicks because we have enough space for them in the house. This is my personal information, and I hope you enjoy reading it. My mother gave this information to the LW evangelism team. I love you so much!

Huge hugs,

Erika Jacinta Marisol Garcia Rodriguez

Translated by:  Gladys Chavez / A-A-C Secretary-Antigua