My Story

Jocotenango, where your child lives, is in the state of Sacatepequez, Guatemala and is a suburb of Antigua. It is an urban environment and is inhabited by both Quiche Mayans and Ladinos (those with mixed European ancestry). Most of the children attend school, but financial hardship affects many families and forces most of the children to leave after the sixth grade. Only one out of ten children finish high school. Children in this area face temptations from gangs and drugs.

Hello! How are you? My name is Yoselin Lorena Xoc Marroquin, and I am writing these lines to tell you a little about my life. I am 13 years old, and I was born on February 9, 2013. I am in good health. I used to suffer from convulsions, but I was under medical treatment and I am fine now. I am attending school, and I am in 7^th grade this year. In my free time, I play soccer and listen to music. I love the color red, and I like cats. My favorite food is the hamburger. At the moment, my family and I are not attending a church.

My father’s name is Hector Xoc Coc, but he does not live with me nor help me financially. He separated from my mom 13 years ago, and she does not have any type of communication with him. My mother’s name is Claudia Lorena Marroquin Aguilar, and she works as a maid. She is the only one who covers our expenses, so we are always in need of food and groceries. I do not have siblings, so my family is only made up of my mom and me. She helped me with the information for this letter. I am happy to be part of the feeding program, and I walk for 15 minutes to arrive at the program. I have parakeets and a rabbit as pets.

I tell you that we live in a rented house, and we share it with three other families; they are my mother’s siblings and their families. The rent payment is covered by the four families, and it is Q2,000.00 quetzals (about $267.00) per month. The house is made of concrete block with a concrete roof and ceramic floor. It has running water and electricity service, and we all pay these bills. Well, this is all for now, and I hope you find it interesting. May God bless you!

Sincerely yours

Yoselin Lorena Xoc Marroquin

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