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.  

I greet you in Jesus’ name. I am Yessica Zucelina Benito Garcia, and I am in good health. I was born on October 31, 2018, so I am now 7 years old. I am attending school this year, and I am in 1st grade. In my free time, I play with my dolls. My favorite dish is fried chicken, and I love the color blue. The animal that I like the most is the horse. My family and I attend the Catholic Church. I have two brothers, and one of them is registered at the feeding program too. We walk for 10 minutes to arrive at the program.  

My parents are in good health, and their names are Ramiro Benito Calachij and Juana Garcia Ruiz. My father works as a day laborer, and he also grows corn. My mother keeps busy doing all the household chores and taking care of my brothers and me. We are living in a house which belongs to my paternal grandparents. It is made of adobe with a tin sheet roof and dirt floor, and it has one room and a kitchen. We get the water from a spring, and fortunately, we have electricity service. We have hens and pigs at home. We are a humble family, and our frequent needs are groceries. Please pray for us. This is all for now. My mom helped me with this letter.  

Many blessings 

Yessica Zucelina Benito Garcia 

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