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! My name is Yoselin Floridalma Benito Portuguez. I was born on July 30, 2012, so I am 11 years old. Praise God, I am in good health condition. I am not attending school, so I stay at home and look after the hens, and I play with dolls with my sister. I have 6 brothers and three sisters in total. I like pink, my favorite animal is the giraffe, and the food I enjoy eating the most is fried chicken. My father’s name is Santiago Benito Chingo. He struggles to cover our needs by working both as a farmer and as day laborer; he also travels to the coast to pick coffee beans for two months to earn extra money for our needs. My mother’s name is Hilaria Portuguez. She is a housewife and takes care of us. Besides that, my big brothers sometimes contribute to our weekly expenses. As a family, we are member of Assembly of God Church.

Thankfully, we live in our own house which is made of adobe walls with tin sheet roof and dirt floor; it has two rooms and a separate kitchen. We have running water and electricity; my parents pay these bills. We have hens and turkeys. Some of our basic needs are groceries and corn. I feel so blessed to be part of the feeding program. I walk 15 minutes to be there, and I want you to know that my mother provided all this information for my enrollment process. I say goodbye to you with much love and affection; I will be waiting to hear from you soon.

In Jesus Name,

Yoselin Floridalma Benito Portuguez

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