My Story

Pasojoc III, where your child lives, is located in an extremely remote area of the mountains in Quiche, Guatemala.  Life in this area is very difficult and very isolated from the outside world. It is a 3-hour walk to the nearest market town.  The people who inhabit the area are Quiche Mayans who can trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization.  They normally speak a Mayan dialect called Quiche; however, Spanish is becoming more common.  The climate is basically warm, but it can get very cold at night.  Houses in this area are typically constructed of adobe with tin sheet or tile roofs and dirt floors.  Pasojoc III is an area rich with natural resources.  It is a farming area where the inhabitants grow staples such as corn, beans and other types of vegetables. Many families also raise domestic animals such as sheep, goats, cows and chickens.

 Hello, my name is Juana Yolanda Jimon Calachij. I was born on December 7, 2015 and I am 8 years old. I am a healthy girl. Unfortunately, I am repeating 1^st grade at school this year. I enjoy playing with dolls at home. I love pink and my favorite animals are hens. I like to eat beef broth. I have two brothers and two sisters. Two of them are part of the Feeding Program. I walk about one hour to come to the feeding center. We are members of Prince of Peace Church. I live under my parent´s care. My father´s name is Mario Jimon Grave. He is a healthy man. He provides for our economic needs by working as a farmer and day laborer. He travels to the coast from November to January to pick coffee beans during the harvest season in order to earn some money to cover our family needs. My mother’s name is Florinda Calachij Quino. She lives with the family, and she is in good health. She is a housewife, and furthermore, she raises hens to sell and get some income.

We live in my mother`s house. The house has only one room and we cook there because we do not have a separated kitchen. The house is made of wood with a tin sheet roof and dirt floor. We do not have running water, but we get it from a natural spring by carrying it in some plastic jars. We use candles at night because we do not have electricity. Thankfully, we do not pay any services or rent. We have sheep and hens at home. Our current needs are groceries and clothes. We would like to have some chicks at home, and we have enough space for them in our house. This is my personal information, and I hope you find it interesting. My mother provided the information to the LW teacher for my enrollment. I send you many blessings!

Lots of love,

Juana Yolanda Jimon Calachij

Translated by: Gladys Chavez. / A-A-C Secretary-Antigua