Juana was the first to wake up. She looked out the window to see that it was raining again. It had rained yesterday and the day before. In the middle of the rainy season Juana knew that she would probably get wet and have to wear damp clothes most of the day. Under her thin blanket, that barely kept her warm through the cold nights, she looked for the little plastic dog she had taken from the playroom and brought to bed with her last night. It was not there. Someone must have taken it from her while she slept. She so wanted to have something she called her own.

At six years of age, Juana was a bright child who could only remember living in the stark Children’s institution on the outskirts of Guatemala City. Someone told her that Jose was her twin brother. She did not understand what twin brother meant. None of the other eight girls in her room were awake yet, so Juana looked at the clothes that had been put at the end of her bunk bed. Nothing bright and colourful for her today. She had seen these same clothes on Esperanza a couple of days ago. She wished she could have the same clothes she had worn yesterday. They were bright and colourful.

After the morning meal Juana was playing in the courtyard. It had three soccer balls that the children kicked to one another. The play area was made of cement and had cement block walls much higher than all of the children. Outside Juana could hear the laughter of other children. She could also hear the loud ‘chicken’ buses driving by, each one belching black smelly diesel fumes. She had seen the buses from the windows of the institution on many occasions and wondered who the kids were in those buses and where they were going. Maybe one day she would get to ride in a bus too. Like yesterday it started to rain and before she could get inside, Juana was wet.

Once inside Juana was told to stand by the wall while all of the other children went to the classroom for morning lessons. She wondered why she had been stopped. She also wondered why Jose was also standing close by. Maria, the house-lady that Juana liked came over and told them that they were leaving to go live some place else. Juana did not understand. She wanted to stay here. She started to cry. She was afraid. What would the new place be like? Before long she was getting on one of the ‘chicken’ buses with Maria and Jose. Where were they going? How long would they be on the bus? These and many more questions were going through her mind. She was beginning to get excited.

The bus travelled for over an hour. They passed through the busy and noisy centre of Guatemala City. Juana saw many kids her age on the streets. Many of them wearing tattered clothes. Soon they were in the country going through smaller towns and villages. Finally the bus stopped and Juana, Jose and Maria got off. They seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Close by, standing beside a brightly coloured truck were two women. One looked like a lot like Maria. The other woman had whiter skin and a huge smile. Juana was told that the lady who looked like Maria was called Gabriela. The other lady was called Alicia. They all piled into the truck. This was a day that Juana would never forget. Soon they were driving through a gate that had writing on it that Juana did not understand. Later she would find out that it says “Somos Children’s Village”.

Almost immediately the truck was driving past laughing children kicking a soccer ball on a grassy field. They were laughing and having fun. There were dogs running and jumping with the children and they seemed to be having fun too. There were colourful flowers everywhere. Juana started to cry. She wanted to get out of the truck and to run around like the other kids. She would like to be able to stay here and not go back to that other place that had been her home for the last six years. But why had they brought her here? What was this place?

The truck stopped outside a funny looking building. It was made up of rounded walls. It was not too high. It had lots of windows and more flowers and what looked like vegetables growing in a small garden close by. The house was painted bright colours and there was a dog at the front door. Gabriela said to Juana “This is your new home. You are going to live here with me and five other children. Come inside and I will show you around.” Juana could not believe her ears. She was going to live here! This was to be her new home! How had this happened? What had she done to deserve this?

“Come with me,” Gabriela said, “take a look.” They were in a room full of bright and colourful quilts stacked high. There must have been 20 or 30 of the most beautiful quilts Juana had ever seen. They were purple, and red, and yellow, and green. “Pick one,” Gabriela said, “whichever one you pick will keep you warm and will be yours to keep forever. No other child will ever have it but you.” Juana could not believe it. Something that would be hers and hers alone. She did not know what to say. She just looked and looked. Which one should she pick? They were all so beautiful. Finally she chose the one that she had seen as soon as the door had opened. It had all her favourite colours. Gabriela told her that a lady in a faraway country called Canada had made it. Her name was Heidi. She showed Juana Heidi’s name on a special square at the corner of the quilt. There was another name on the square. “This one says Susan,” she said, “Susan bought this quilt for you and Heidi made it for you.” There was a space left on the square and Gabriela explained to Juana that her name would go there so that everyone knew that this quilt belonged to her. It was to be her very own! It was the first thing she had of her own. She could not believe it.

-This fictional story was written with love by Denis Knox

Would you like to sponsor or make a quilt for a child? Check out our Quilt Project on our website.

Benefit Fiesta-Wayne auctioning off the first quilt!

The First Quilt made by Heidi Dubland