My Story

Tunaja is a small area of the state of Quiché, Guatemala. The inhabitants are Quiché Mayans who trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization. The prevalent language is the Mayan dialect - Quiché. The people are either farmers or shepherds and live off the fruits of their labors. Very little money ever changes hands as they use a barter system. Public education is available - however, most families cannot afford it. Electricity and running water are not available in most of the area. Life in Tunaja is difficult.

Hello! I am Andy Jobany and I am 5 years old. I was born in Tunaja, Zacualpa Quiche on June 7^th, 2018. My father is Jeremias Morente de la Cuz and my mother is Josefina Ruiz Ajqui. I have two sisters and only one is registered at the feeding program. We live near the feeding program, so we walk for 5 minutes to enjoy our lunch every day of the program. I am still too young to attend school. I stay at home and enjoy playing football and toy cars. I am a healthy boy. I like the color red and my favorite animal is dogs. My favorite meal is soup.

Both of my parents struggle to support us although we are not living together. My father traveled to The United States a year ago. He has communication and sends us money, but we do not know what type of job he has in the States. On the other side, my mom improves the incomes by weaving typical blankets for selling. We attend the Church of God Israel.

We live in our own house and we share it with my nephews. There are three rooms besides the kitchen. It has adobe walls, tin sheet roof and cemented floor. There is electricity and running water. My mother pays the water annually and the electricity monthly.  We do not have domestic animals at home. Our greatest necessity is food. Well, before I say goodbye to you, I want you to know that my mother gave this information to the LW teacher. Thank you so much for your attention and I look forward to hearing from you. I send you hugs and blessings!

Best regards from now on,

Andy Jobany Morente Ruiz

Translated by: Mireya de Sadoval, AAC Secretary / Antigua