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 share my information in this opportunity. My name is Edwin Jonatan Dariel Chingo de la Cruz. I was born on December 17^th, 2017 in Zacualpa, Quiche, Guatemala. I am already 7 years old and I am a healthy boy. I am in the first grade. I like to play football in my spare time. My favorite color is blue and my favorite animal is the cat. I like to eat spaghetti. I have one brother and no sisters. I attend the Zacualpa feeding program with my brother and we get there in 20 minutes by walking.

My father is Robin Eduardo Chingo Garcia. Unfortunately, he is separated from my mother about three years ago. He works by looking after cattle and gives us monthly support. My mother is Lesvia de la Cruz Gomez. She does the housework and goes to butcher chickens two or three days weekly to get income. For now, we do not attend any church. We live in my maternal grandparents’ house, and we share it with them, an aunt and cousins. There are 3 rooms made of blocks and a cement floor. The kitchen is separated. There are running water and electricity services. The water is a yearly payment, and the electricity is a monthly payment.  As a family, our essential needs are groceries. Thank you for reading my information. Many blessings!

Hugs and kisses,

Edwin Jonatan Dariel Chingo de la Cruz

Translated by: Violeta Hernandez, AAC Secretary / Antigua