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.

My name is Fatima Galilea Ramirez Tello and it is a great pleasure to share a little about my life with you. I was born on May 6, 2016. Thankfully, I am a healthy 8-year-old girl. I am in first grade again. My favorite pastime is soccer and I like the color pink. My favorite food is fried chicken. Dogs are adorable and playful, so I like them so much. I live with my parents and siblings. I have one brother and one sister. Fortunately, everybody is doing well. My parents’ names are Jose Armando Ramirez Garcia and Maria Guadalupe Tello Argueta. My father works as a mason while my mother sells homemade snacks at school to support our family. Our priorities are corn, groceries, clothes, and shoes. My mother sometimes makes and sells Guatemalan pupusas (fried dough filled with cheese, vegetables, and meat) to earn extra money.

My family and I do not attend any church at the moment, so I beg you to pray for us. We live in a rented house which costs Q200=$25.94 monthly. The house is made of adobe with a tin sheet roof and a concrete floor. It has two rooms, a separate kitchen, electricity, and running water. My father also pays the bills for the services. I live about 10 minutes from the feeding program. To get there, my mom takes my siblings and me in a tuk-tuk. This is all for now, but I hope you liked my information. See you later!

Kind regards,

Fatima Galilea Ramirez Tello

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala