My Story

Zacualpa is a small but busy village in a mountain valley. The village is inhabited by both Quiché Indians and Ladinos (those with mixed European ancestry). The prevalent language is Spanish. Families in this village live in one or two room homes generally constructed of either wood or adobe. Although many of the people are farmers, the village contains several small specialized stores, a body repair shop for buses, mechanics, plumbers and many other small-town tradesmen. It also has a large open-air market which serves much of the area. Even with all of this, the poverty level is very high and the children are very needy.

Hello! I am very excited to introduce myself through this. My full name is Jeferson Josue Riz Hernandez. My birth date is September 20^th, 2013, so I am now 11 years old. I was born in Zacualpa, Quiche, Guatemala. This year I attend 5^th grade at school. My hobby is playing football. My favorite color is green. I like dogs. The food I love the most is fried chicken. It is a great blessing for me to be part of the feeding program and I walk 5 minutes to arrive there; I usually go with some of my friends.

My father is Manuel Riz Hernandez. He makes a living by farming the land in our village. My mother is Micaela Roxana Hernandez Sucuqui. She sells homemade food in the plaza on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays to contribute to the expenses. She raises hens for our food. I have one brother and one sister. By the grace of God, we all are in good health. We are members of the Assembly of God Church. Fortunately, my parents are the owners of the house in which we live in. There are three rooms made of bricks and a granite floor. The kitchen is separated. There are running water and electricity services; my parents pay for those services. I hope you enjoy reading my information. Many blessings!

Huge hugs,

Jeferson Josue Riz Hernandez

Translated by: Violeta Hernandez, AAC Secretary / Antigua