My Story

Pasojoc is an area located high on the side of a mountain in the state of Quiche, Guatemala. Life in this area is very difficult and very isolated from the outside world. It is more than a two-hour walk to the nearest market town of Zacualpa. Pasojoc is a farming area where corn and black beans, the staple elements in their diet, are the major crops. The Quiche Mayans who inhabit this area trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization. They normally speak a Mayan dialect called Quiche - however, Spanish is becoming more common. Very little money ever changes hands in this area as they live on a barter system.

Hello! my full name is Dany Alfredo Eduardo Marcos de la Cruz de la Cruz and I was born in Zacualpa, Quiche on February 22, 2018.  I am 7 years old and I am a healthy boy even though I was born with a cleft lip. I am thankful to God because I had a special surgery when I was a baby, and now, I look well. I love blue and lions. My pastime is to play soccer. Fried chicken is the meal that I prefer and I am studying the 1^st grade at school. I have two brothers and three sisters. Four of them are registered in the Feeding Center and we walk two hours to arrive there. My whole family and I are doing fine and we are members of Charismatic Group that belongs to the Catholic Church.

I live under my parents’ care. My father`s name is Roel de la Cruz de la Cruz and my mother`s name is Santos de la Cruz Gomez. My father works as a day laborer. Moreover, he travels to the coast to pick coffee beans during the harvest season in order to earn extra money. My mother takes care of us and she also raises hens to sell and get some income. We are a humble family and our priority needs are groceries. I want to tell you that we live in my parents’ house. We have four rooms and a separated kitchen. We use three of them. The walls are made of adobe with tin sheet roof and dirt floors. We have electricity and my father and grandfather pay for the service. We get water from a natural spring. We also have hens at home. Well, it was a pleasure to tell you about my personal information and I hope you like to read it.  I send you all the best in the name of Jesus!

Kisses and hugs,

Dany Alfredo Eduardo Marcos de la Cruz de la Cruz

Translated by: Gladys Chavez, AAC Secretary-Antigua