My Story

Hello, it is a pleasure for me to share a little bit about my family and me. My name is Marta Panjoj Aguilar. I was born on July 9, 1994. I am 30 years old. I am a single mother. I have one son; his name is Jonatan Alexander Josue Panjoj Aguilar. I live with him, my parents and siblings.  Thanks to God, they are in good health, but I am not. Before I was pregnant, I was working in the city as a maid, and at the same time, I was also studying. I graduated as a nursing assistant. I had a relationship with a man, and as a result of it, I got pregnant. When I told my boyfriend that I got pregnant, he abandoned me, and he does not legally recognize my son. When I decided to return to Quiche, I could only arrive to a department called Chimaltenango because it was during the pandemic which closed the country. I stayed with a friend, and during this time, my son was born. I tried to give birth with a midwife but I was unable to do it. So, I had to go to the hospital emergency. I gave birth naturally, but I suffered greatly because I was injured by the doctors and nurses. Since then, I have had trouble walking. I am in a lot of pain and there is burning in my private area. I suffer from gastritis and constant diarrhea too. I have not gone to the doctor due to lack of financial resources. I am unable to work. I have some hens that I raise, and from time to time, I sell them to earn some money.

My father Tomas and brother Samuel help me economically. My father and brother work as day laborers.  They earn Q50.00 = $6.49 per day, and they work three times a week. I cry and feel very sad because many times my son asks me for many things that I cannot buy. I would like to give my son everything he needs, but I cannot. I ask for your prayers for my life and for God to do a miracle in my life and give me good health. We are members of the Methodist Church. Thanks to God, we live in my parent´s house. It has three rooms and we use one of them. It is made of adobe walls, tin sheet roof and dirt floor. We have running water and electricity. My father pays for these: the running water is once a year, and the electricity is monthly. We are a poor family and we have many needs. Some of them are: groceries, clothes and medical attention. We live 40 minutes from the feeding program and get there by walking. Thank you very much for taking your time to read my history. I send you many blessings,

Blessings and hugs,

Marta Panjoj Aguilar

Translated by: Magnolia Gomez / Secretary - AAC-Guatemala.