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 name is Dany Simaj Gomez and I am glad to write this letter to let you know a little about my life. I was born on February 25, 2018. I am 7 years old and fortunately, I am in good health. I am enrolled in first grade. My favorite pastimes are playing soccer and toy cars. I like the color red and my favorite food is rice with chicken. Turkeys are nice animals, so they are my favorites. I live with my parents and siblings. I have three brothers and three sisters. My father’s name is Ramiro Simaj Benito. He is a farmer and day laborer, but he is not working at the moment because he underwent an intestinal surgery recently. So please pray for his quick recovery. My mother’s name is Petrona Gomez Jimon. She is a housewife and raises hens to sell. She uses her income to support our family economically. My oldest brother, Elisandro Jose, is also working hard to help us with the needs and expenses at home. Our priorities are groceries and clothes. On the other hand, my older brother, Miguel, is in charge of looking for firewood and doing some household chores at home.

My family and I still do not attend any church, but I hope we can do it someday. We live in our own house. It is made of adobe with a tin sheet roof and a concrete floor. It has two rooms, a separate kitchen, electricity, and running water. We pay for the running water annually while the electricity is paid monthly. I live about 30 minutes from the feeding program, so I get there on foot alongside my siblings. This is all for now, but I hope to hear from you next time.

Huge hugs,

Dany Simaj Gomez

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala