My Story

Zacualpa is a small but busy village in a mountain valley. The village is inhabited by both Quiche Mayans 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! My full name is Madison Marisleysi Simaj de Leon and I am 10 years old. I was born on June 4, 2014. I attend school as a fourth grader. Fortunately, I am in good health. My favorite pastime is playing with my dolls. My favorite color is purple. Cats are cute and fur, so I like them very much. My favorite food is spaghetti. I only have one brother. We live under the care of our grandparents and one of my uncles. My grandmother’s name is Rosa Beatriz Gonzalez. She makes and sells homemade food to survive and buy our food. My father is Juan Francisco Simaj Hernandez. He has lived and worked in the United States for about one year. He supports our family and keeps in touch with us. He told us that he works on a farm where he looks after the cattle. I am a little sad because my mom does not live with us. Currently, she has another family. She does not help us economically but visits us twice a week. Her name is Kimberly Mishel de Leon Gonzalez. 

My family and I do not attend any church at the moment. The house where we live belongs to my grandmother. One sections of the house is made of concrete block while the other part consists of adobe. The roof is made of tin sheets and tiles, and the floors are concrete. It has three rooms and an improvised kitchen made of wood and tin sheets. Fortunately, we have running water and electricity. My grandparents pay for electricity monthly while the running water is paid yearly. As a needy family, our priorities are groceries. So, I ask you to pray for us. My brother and I are glad to be part of LW-Adopt a Child. My grandmother takes us to the feeding program on foot. We usually walk ten minutes from our house to get there. To end this letter, I want to say thank you so much for reading my information. Until next time!

Best wishes,

 Madison Marisleysi Simaj de Leon

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala