My Story

Cuatro Caminos "four roads", where your child lives, 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 a two hour walk to the nearest market town of Zacualpa. Cuatro Caminos 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! How are you? This is Martina Gricelda Quino Ajqui, and I am writing this letter to tell you about me. I was born on April 8, 2018, so I am 7 years old. I am in good health, and I am attending 1^st grade this year. I do my homework and play with my dolls in my free time. My favorite color is pink, and I love the quetzal which is our national bird. I really enjoy eating chicken broth. At the moment, my family and I are not attending a church. My father’s name is Marcelino Quino, and he works in a grocery store in Guatemala City; he comes home every two months and stays with us for 10 days. My mother’s name is Petronila Ajqui Ildefonso, and she does different jobs to earn money. She works as a weaver, sells snow cones in the village and raises hens, sheep and cows for selling. Thank God, my parents are both in good health.

We do not have our own house, so we live with my paternal grandfather. The house only has one room and a kitchen. It is made of adobe with a tin sheet roof and dirt floor. We have electricity and running water services. We have hens, sheep, cows, a dog and a cat at home. We are a humble family, and our frequent needs are groceries and clothes. I have two brothers and two sisters, and two of them are registered at the feeding program too. We attend the program together, and we have to walk for 20 minutes to arrive there. I tell you that my mom helped me to give my information to LW Evangelism team, and I hope you find it interesting.

Many blessings

Martina Gricelda Quino Ajqui

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio, AAC Secretary/Antigua Guatemala