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.

It is a great blessing to say hello to you through this letter. My full name is Yasmi Alessia Riz de la Cruz and I want to tell you a little about my life. I was born on July 6, 2020. Fortunately, I am a healthy 4-year-old girl. I am in pre-kinder this year. What I enjoy the most is playing with my dolls and kitchen toys. My favorite color is pink, I love dogs, and my favorite food is spaghetti. Now, let me tell you about my family. My mother’s name is Rosario Riz de la Cruz. She is a housewife and keeps busy taking care of my oldest sister and me. I am the youngest girl at home. My father’s name is Jose Arnoldo Garcia Tiu. He has lived and worked in the United States for two years. He makes a living by farming vegetables. He could not recognize me legally because, when I was born, he traveled to that country for the first time. Fortunately, he has always been in touch with my family and me. He also sends us money to buy what we need at home. Our needs are many, but our priorities are groceries.

At the moment, we do not attend any church. So, I ask you to pray for us. My family and I live at my grandparents’ house. They are my grandparents on my father’s side. Some of their children live there too. The house is made of adobe with a tin sheet roof and a concrete floor. It has three rooms; we can only use one of them. It also has a separate kitchen, electricity, and a well to get water. My father takes turns with other adults of our family to pay for the electricity service at home. Fortunately, there is enough space at home, so we raise some chickens for our consumption. The feeding program is fifteen minutes from where I live. To get there, we take a tuk-tuk. This is all for now, but I send you many kisses and hugs. See you later!

Special regards,

Yasmi Alessia Riz de la Cruz

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala