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 Quiché, 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 Quiché Indians who inhabit this area trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization.  They normally speak an Indian dialect called Quiché - however, Spanish is becoming more common.  Very little money ever changes hands in this area as they live on a barter system.

Hello, I am Juana Morente de la Cruz, and I feel blessed to have this opportunity to share a little of my life with someone special like you. I am 9 years old. I was born in Zacualpa Quiche on August 24, 2017. I am repeating the 1st grade at school. My favorite color is white, and my favorite animal is the pigeon. My health is good. I like eating fried chicken. I enjoy playing tag. I have two brothers and one sister.

Thank God, both of my parents are healthy. Carlos Morente Luis is my father, and he supports our family by working as a mason’s helper. Olga del la Cruz Cux is my mother, and she is a weaver. She weaves whatever people ask like typical blouses, belts and blankets. None of us travel to the coast to work. Sadly, we do not attend any church yet.

About my house, I can say that thankfully my father owns one. It has two rooms and a separate kitchen. It is made of adobe tin sheet roof and dirt floor. We get the water from a well, and my father pays monthly for the electricity service. Our domestic animals are geese, guinea fowl, chickens, turkeys and pigeons. As a family, our necessities are groceries and corn mainly. I am glad to attend the feeding program because it blesses me in a big way. I go alone to the program because I live nearby. I usually walk for 5 minutes to get there. Well, this is all I have for you now. Thank you for your love and especially for reading this about my family and me. I send you my love and best wishes.

Sincerely yours,

Juana Morente de la Cruz

Translated by: Mireya de Sandoval, AAC Secretary / Antigua