My Story

Chixocol, where your child lives, is a very small village nestled in a mountain valley in the state of Quiché, 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 labors.  Public education is available for those who can afford it and consider it of value.  Life in Quiché is always a challenge.

Hello! I am very happy to share my information through this. My full name is Manuel Erling Haaland Tiniguar Morales. I was born on February 5, 2022, in Zacualpa, Quiche, Guatemala. I am now 3 years old, and thanks to God, I am healthy. I am not attending school this year because I am very young. So, I stay at home and enjoy playing with my toy cars. My favorite color is light blue. The animal I like the most is the cow. I love eating fried chicken; I receive this food at the feeding program sometimes. I live with my parents and one sister. My father´s name is Martin Tiniguar Panjoj. He is not working at the moment because he contracted Helicobacter pylori and feels weak. He visited a doctor about 7 months and took medication; however, he still feels bad. He no longer visits a doctor due to a lack of money.

My mother´s name is Marta Elena Morales Aguilar de Tiniguar. She raises hens and pigs and works as a day laborer. Moreover, she sells products by catalog to get more income. However, I want you to pray for her health because she is the one who supplies our home needs since my father is not working. She has health problems. She went to the doctor and was diagnosed with ovarian cysts and endometrial hyperplasia by means of an ultrasound and received medicines for it. She needs to keep her medical appointment to know if the treatment works or if she needs another treatment. However, she does not have the money to do it and is only taking natural medicines when she feels bad. Moreover, she started to have strong pain in her spine about 3 months and went to the hospital in Joyabaj town, and the doctor ordered a tomography to find out what the problem is. But as I have mentioned, we do not have resources, and it makes it hard for her to go and receive the appropriate medical care. Please, pray for my family, especially for my parents’ health and that God provides the resources so that they can be better to provide for our family.    

We are members of the Prince of Peace Church. The house in which we live belongs to one of my paternal uncles, and fortunately, we do not pay for rent. We share the house with my grandma, and my father’s sister-in-law. There are four rooms and a kitchen. It is a humble house made of adobe with a tin sheet roof and a cement floor. We have running water and electricity; the water is two payments a year, and the electricity is a monthly payment. As a family, our greatest needs are groceries and clothes. I am very happy to be part of the feeding program and I get there in twenty minutes by tuk-tuk. Thank you so much for your beautiful heart for the people in Guatemala like me. I send so much love. Many blessings to you!

Lots of love,

Manuel Erling Haaland Tiniguar Morales

Translated by: Violeta Hernandez / A-A-C Secretary-Antigua Guatemala