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 Juan Alejandro Brito Raymundo and I am excited to tell you about my life. I was born on May 4, 2013. I am 11 years old and attend school as a fifth grader. In my free time, I usually do homework and play with my toys. My favorite color is red and I love having black beans with eggs for my meals. I like wild animals, but my favorite one is the lion. As for my health condition, let me tell you that I suffer from type one diabetes, so I must be under treatment and medical supervision lifelong. Now, I want to tell you a litttle about my mom. Her name is Marta Brito Raymundo. She is a single parent who makes a living as a domestic employee. I am an only child. My biological father never recognized me legally, so I only have my mother’s last name. I am glad because my mom is in good health. We attend a Christian Church in our village. I beg you to pray for my family and our needs. Our priorities are food, clothes, shoes, and medicine for me. By the grace of the Lord, my mom could buy my medicine, but it is difficult for her. 

We live in a rented house which belongs to one of my mom’s friends. We pay Q300=$38.92 monthly. One of my aunts also lives with us. The house is made of adobe with a tin sheet roof and a dirt floor. It has two rooms, but no separate kitchen so we use one room as a kitchen. Fortunately, we have electricity and running water. We only have one dog as a pet at home. I live a 10-minute walk from the feeding program. I feel blessed to be part of this program because I can have delicious meals appropriate for my health condition. I say goodbye to you now, hoping to hear from you soon.

Cordiality yours,

Juan Alejandro Brito Raymundo

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala