Cuatro Caminos "four roads", where your child lives, 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 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 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.  

Hello! This is Ashly Gregoria Gomez Toj, and I want to tell you a little about me through this small letter; my mommy helped me with it. I am a healthy girl, and I will turn 4 at the middle of the year; I was born on June 21, 2022. Due to my age, I do not attend school yet, so I stay at home; I like playing soccer. My favorite dish is rice with egg, and I love the color green. The sheep is the animal that I like the most. At the moment, my family and I are not attending church. We live in our own house which is made of adobe with a tin sheet roof and dirt floor; it has two rooms and a kitchen. We have running water and electricity services. We have hens and sheep as domestic animals.  

Thankfully, my parents are in good health. My father’s name is Francisco Gomez Benito, and he works as a day laborer; he grows corn and gathers grass too. My mother’s name is Martha Toj Benito de Gomez, and she keeps busy doing the household chores, cooking and taking care of my siblings and me. I have six brothers and three sisters. Four of them are registered at the feeding program, and we go to the program together; we walk for 7 minutes to arrive there. We are a humble family, and our frequent needs are groceries. I hope you find my letter interesting. I say goodbye to you for now. 

Sincerely yours  

Ashly Gregoria Gomez Toj 

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio, AAC Secretary/Antigua Guatemala