My Story

Chixocol, where your child lives, is a very small village nestled in a mountain valley in the state of Quiche, Guatemala. Life in this state is very difficult and somewhat isolated from the outside world. Most families live in one-room adobe houses with dirt floors and a small attached kitchen. The extremely poor live in houses made of corn stalks. In the past few years, electricity and water have become available to most people in the area – however, indoor plumbing is very rare. Most of the families are farmers or shepherds and live off the fruits of their labor. Public education is available for those who can afford it and consider it of value. Life in Quiche is always a challenge.

Special regards to all of you! My full name is Henry Sebastian Mejia Garcia, and I am glad to share a little about my life with you. I was born on November 15, 2020. Luckily, I am a healthy boy. I still do not attend school because I am too young. I am four years old and my favorite color is blue. I like all domestic animals, but my favorite one is the duck. My favorite pastime is playing with my toy cars. I love eating fried chicken. Now, let me tell you about my family. Vicente Mejia Zacarias is my father’s name. He is a day laborer and a farmer in our village. He also sells spices at the market on Thursdays and Sundays to earn extra money and support our family. Our priority needs are clothes and food.

Ana Griselda Garcia Ajqui is my mother’s name. She is a very busy housewife and dedicates her time to taking care of my siblings and me. I have two brothers and one sister. She also contributes to the expenses by selling herbs at the market. I kindly ask you to pray for her health. She suffers from gallstones, but she does not take any medical treatment because of our low financial resources. However, she takes natural medicine to mitigate the issues of her illness.

We attend a nearby Christian Church called Prince of Peace. The house where we live belongs to one of my uncles, on my mother’s side. He does not charge us rent, but we have to cover the electricity and running water services. The house is made of adobe with a metal roof and a concrete floor. It has one room and a separate kitchen. My uncle allows us to raise domestic animals on his property, too. We have some chickens and pigs. We live about 30 minutes away from the feeding program, so we usually take a tuk-tuk. It is time to say goodbye, but I hope you found my information engaging. I look forward to hearing yours soon.

With much love,

Henry Sebastian Mejia Garcia

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala