My Story

Jocotenango, where your child lives, is in the state of Sacatepequez, Guatemala and is a suburb of Antigua. It is an urban environment and is inhabited by both Quiche Mayans and Ladinos (those with mixed European ancestry). Most of the children attend school, but financial hardship affects many families and forces most of the children to leave after the sixth grade. Only one out of ten children finish high school. Children in this area face temptations from gangs and drugs.

Good morning! My name is Dominic Gael Arana Pascual and I was born on December 20, 2020 in Antigua Guatemala. I am five years old and I am in pre-kinder this year. My favorite color is yellow and I love cats. My past time is to watch TV and I like to eat spaghetti. I only have one brother and he also is registered in the Feeding Program. My mother accompanies us and we walk for five minutes to come. Her name is Sucely Noemi Pascual Pedro and she is a stay-at-home-mom and takes care of the family. My father`s name is Edvin Andre Arana Diaz and he makes a living by painting and installing drywall and false ceilings to provide for our needs. We are a needy family and our current needs are groceries.

By the grace of God, my whole family and I are doing well and we belong to the Catholic Church. We live in my maternal great-grandfather`s house and he also lives with us. In addition, my paternal grandmother and her brother live there. Fortunately, they share the payments for the electricity and running water with my father. We have four rooms made of concrete block with tin sheet roof and cemented floor. We have a separated kitchen. We also have two cats and one dog, but my mother would like to have chicks in the house because we have enough space for them. My family and I are grateful for the opportunity to belong to this wonderful Project. Well, this was my personal information and I hope you like to read it. Blessings to you!

A bunch of hugs,

Dominic Gael Arana Pascual

Translated By: Gladys de Catavi, AAC Secretary-Antigua