My Story

Tunajá is a very primitive area of the state of Quiché, Guatemala.  The inhabitants are Quiché Indians who trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization.  The prevalent language is the Indian dialect - Quiché.  The people are either farmers or shepherds and live off the fruits of their labors.  Very little money ever changes hands as they use a barter system.  Public education is available - however, most families cannot afford it.  Electricity and running water are not available in most of the area.  Life in Tunajá is extremely difficult.

What a joy to greet you today. My name is Miriam Elizabeth de Leon Ajqui. I am very excited to introduce myself for the first time. I was born on October 1, 2017, in Joyabaj Quiche. I am 8 years old and I am a second-grade student. In my free time after doing my homework, I help with the chores at home. My favorite color is pink. I like rabbits. I love eating fried chicken. About my health, well I have gastritis, but thankfully, I am under treatment and feeling much better now. I only have one sister and no brothers.

Talking about my family, my parents are Jeremias de Leon Ruiz and Hilda Esperanza Ajqui Chingo de de Leon. My father works as a farmer and day laborer while my mother does the hard work at home, takes care of us, weaves and goes to wash clothes for others to improve the income. Thank God, my father is healthy, but I would like to ask for your prayers for my mother because she suffers from gastritis too. Thankfully, she is under treatment at the Local Health Center. We attend faithfully the Prince of Peace, Lamp of God Church.

My family has to rent a house because my parents do not own one. They pay about Q800.00 = US $ 106.66 monthly. The house belongs to my maternal aunt. The house has two rooms plus the kitchen made of adobe, tin sheet roof and cemented floor. We do not have running water, so my parents have to buy a barrel of water for our consumption. We have electricity that my father pays monthly. Our domestic animals are one cat and some chickens. As a family our needs are groceries, corn, black beans and clothes. It is a blessing for me to be part of the feeding program. I always attend and walk for 20 minutes to get there. Thank you so much for taking time to read about my family and me. I appreciate your interest to know me a little bit more. May God bless you wherever you are!

Yours truly,

Miriam Elizabeth de Leon Ajqui

Translated by: Mireya de Sandoval, AAC Secretary / Antigua