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 name is Alicia Elizabeth Calachij Coj and I am pleased to tell you my little story. I am 7 years old and I was born on January 2, 2019. I am in good health and I like to play tag and dolls in my spare time. I love purple color and cats are my favorite animals. Grilled meat is what I love to eat. I have three brothers and five sisters and four of them belong to this beautiful project which is located in the local school from Pasojoc I. We walk two hours and a half to come there and we are blessed because we receive delicious meals that are cooked with much love. I live under my parent`s care, and along with the whole family, we travel to the coast from October to March to pick coffee beans to earn extra money during the harvest season. My father earns a living as a farmer and my mother is a housewife. In addition, she raises hens to sell and get some income. Her name is Tomasa Coj Garcia and my father`s name is Basilio Calachij Gutierrez. We are believers in Jesus and we belong to the Charismatic Renovation from the Catholic Church. We are a humble family and our current needs are groceries, clothes and shoes. By the grace of God, my family is in good health.

We are blessed because we live in our own house and we do not pay a rent. We have one room with a separated kitchen. The room is made of adobe walls, tin sheet roof and dirt floors. We have electricity and we get water from a nearby river. My father pays the electricity bill monthly. I hope you like to read my personal information and may God bless you richly!

Lots of love,

Alicia Elizabeth Calachij Coj

Translated by: Gladys Chavez, AAC Secretary-Antigua