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 has 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.

It is my pleasure to greet you in this beautiful day! My name is Irma Yojana Torquiz Tzoy. I was born on February 6, 2018, and I am now 8 years old. I live with my parents and two sisters. It is a great blessing that our Lord keeps us with good health. My father is Rafael Torquiz Panjoj, and he makes a living as a construction assistant. My mother is Marta Alicia Tzoy Toj. She is a housewife and raises hens, pigs and a cow for selling. Moreover, she embroiders blouses to sell.

I will share a few things about myself. I am repeating 1^st grade this year. My hobby is to play with my dolls and tag. My favorite animal is the cow. and I love the color red. The meal I love the most is fried chicken. At the moment, we do not attend any church. We are living in my paternal great-grandfather´s house. There is only one room with a kitchen. The house is made of one part of adobe and one part of tin sheet including the roof, and a dirt floor. We have running water, but no electricity. My grandmother shares electricity with us, and my parents take turns to pay the bill every month. We are a humble family and our greatest needs are groceries and clothes. I am so excited to be enrolled in the feeding program; I attend alongside my mother and siblings and we walk 30 minutes to arrive. Thank you so much for your beautiful heart for the people in Guatemala like me. May our Lord bless you wherever you go!

With all my love,

Irma Yojana Torquiz Tzoy

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