“Only God can repay them for what they have done for me.”
Antonio (pictured above) is six, and his little brother Pedro is just two. Together with their parents, Mateo and Lucía, and three other siblings, they are part of a Maya Q’eqchi’ family - an indigenous community living mainly in Guatemala and Belize.
In their home village in Alta Verapaz, northern Guatemala, families rely heavily on the seasonal cardamom harvest to survive. Life in the community is simple and closely tied to the land, but it can also be hard, especially when opportunities are limited.
Hoping for a better future, Mateo and Lucía made the difficult decision to move their young family to the city. However, here instead of finding opportunity, they were met with hardship. Mateo was the only one who could speak Spanish while Lucía and the children spoke only their native Q’eqchi’ language. This made navigating life in the city incredibly difficult.
During this time, vulnerable and facing unfamiliar surroundings, the family’s situation took a heartbreaking turn. The authorities were alerted and because the children didn’t have official identity documents, Antonio and Pedro were taken into a state-run care home - separated from the only world they knew.
With the support of CONACMI, Toybox’s partner in Guatemala, the family began the process of securing birth certificates for Antonio and Pedro. It was not easy. The case had to go through the courts, and the legal process was long and complex. But with the tireless support of the CONACMI team - and Mateo’s unwavering determination - both boys were finally registered.
Pictured below: (L) Mateo with Antonio and Pedro's birth certificates (R) Pedro.
A simple piece of paper changed everything.
“Only God can repay them for what they have done for me,” Mateo says about the CONACMI team as he remembers the moment his children came home.
With his birth certificate in hand, Antonio will finally be able to start school next year. “He is happy,” Mateo says. “He wants to study.”
Back home, Antonio spends his days playing, helping around the house, and enjoying the comfort of being with his family. Pedro is too young to understand what happened, but he is safe and back where he belongs.
The family is now preparing to return to their home village. Mateo will stay in the city for the time being to continue working to support the family, but Lucía and the children will return to the place they know best - a community where they feel accepted and free from discrimination.
For Antonio and Pedro, birth registration didn’t just give them a legal identity, it gave them their family back.
Pictured below: Antonia and Pedro with Mateo and Lucía and their sister, Maríella.
