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 Mayans who inhabit this area trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization. They normally speak a Mayan 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 so glad to share with you something about my family and me. My name is Mateo Maycol Garcia Riz, and I am in good health. I am 9 years old, and I was born on July 30, 2014. I am in 2^nd grade this year; I enjoy playing with toy cars in my free time. I like the color yellow, I like hens, and my favorite meal is fried chicken. Thankfully, I live with my parents, my two brothers and two sisters. My father works hard to cover our needs. He is a farmer, and his name is Gerardo Garcia de la Cruz. My mother’s name is Maria Riz Garcia, and she is a housewife and looks after us. As a family, we are members of a Methodist Church.

We live in our own house which is made of adobe walls with a tin sheet roof and cement floor; it has two rooms and a separate kitchen. We have electricity, and my father pays this bill. We do not have running water, so we carry it from the river for our use. We also have a cow and hens. Some of our needs are groceries, so we pray for God to help us to have the necessities every day. I feel so blessed to be part of the feeding program. We live about 30 minutes away from it, and I walk to arrive. Let me tell you that my aunt, Andrea Toj Benito came to register me, and she gave all this information. I say goodbye to you for now. I wish you many blessings in everything you do, and I will be waiting to receive news from you soon.

Kisses and Hugs,

Mateo Maycol Garcia Riz

Translated by: Luisa Reyes /A-A-C Secretary/ Guatemala