My Story

Pasojoc is an area located high on the side of a mountain in the state of Quiche, Guatemala. Life in this area is very difficult and very isolated from the outside world. It is more than a two-hour walk to the nearest market town of Zacualpa. Pasojoc is a farming area where corn and black beans, the staple elements in their diet, are the major crops. The Quiche Mayans who inhabit this area trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization. They normally speak a Mayan dialect called Quiche - however, Spanish is becoming more common. Very little money ever changes hands in this area as they live on a barter system.

My full name is Heidy Angelica Hernandez Chibalan and was born on January 31, 2015 in Zacualpa, Quiche. I am a healthy ten-year-old.  I am a third grader student and I like to play hide and seek. I love the color red and dogs. My favorite food is fried chicken. I have two brothers and one sister. I am happy because I am registered in this project and I walk twenty minutes to arrive there. I live under my mother`s care because my father passed away 4 years ago because he was suffering from cirrhosis. His name was Obispo Hernandez Menchu. Currently, my mother Rosa Chibalan Hernandez is the only one that sustains the family financially. She does farmwork, and she raises and sells hens and pigs. Moreover, she travels to the coast once a year to pick coffee beans during the harvest season in order to earn some extra money.  We are a humble family and our current needs are groceries, corn, clothing and shoes. By the grace of God, my mother and whole family is in good health. We believe in God and we belong to the Prince of Peace Christian Church.

We live in my mother`s house which has three rooms and one separated kitchen, but we only use two of them. The walls are made of adobe with tin sheet roof and dirt floors. We have electricity and my mother pays monthly for the service while we get water from a nearby river. We have hens and pigs at home and we would like to have some chicks because we have space in the house for them. It was a pleasure to tell you my little story. Blessings to you in the name of Jesus!

Sincerely yours,

Heidy Angelica Hernandez Chibalan

Translated by: Gladys Chavez, AAC Secretary-Antigua