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 Mayani 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 Julia and I am 7 years old. I was born in Zacualpa, Quiche on March 24^th, 2016. My mother´s name is Juana Angelina Ruiz de la Cruz, and she works by weaving. Besides that, she tends her own small grocery store. My father´s name is Luis Gonzalez Morente. He does not live with us for 8 months when he abandoned our family. He drives a tuc-tuc that belongs to both of my parents. At the beginning of their separation, my father helped us economically. However, he told my mother that he would stop helping us one month ago more or less. We attend the Catholic Church. As many other families, we have many needs but the greatest are groceries and corn.

I am a first grader this year and I am not repeating. I like spending my time playing with dolls. My favorite colors are purple and pink. I like cats and my favorite dish is beef soup. I am currently in good health. Nevertheless, I get a stomach infection frequently and my stomach is swollen. I have suffered from this illness since I was born. Unfortunately, I am not under treatment. I have two brothers and one sister. She is enrolled in the feeding program also. We attend the program by walking. It takes us 15 minutes to be there.

My father is the owner of our house. For that reason, my mother is afraid that someday my father will decide to sell it. It has two rooms and a kitchen. It is made of adobe, tin sheet roof and cemented floor. There is electricity and running water that my mother pays monthly and annually. Our domestic animals are chickens. Well, this is time to say goodbye. I wish you the best and send you many blessings.

Best regards from now on,

Julia Gonzalez Ruiz

Translated by: Mireya de Sadoval, AAC Secretary / Antigua