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 Cristina Yaneth Obispo Ajqui and I am delighted to share my information with you. I was born on March 11, 2020. I am 5 years old and I am healthy. I am in pre-kinder this year. I like doing homework in my free time, but what I enjoy the most is playing with my dolls. My favorite color is green, I love having rice with chicken for my meals, and my favorite animal is the dog. Luckily, I have a nice doggy at home as a pet. Now, let me tell you about my family. My mother’s name is Estela Lucrecia Obispo Ajqui. She does a great job as a housewife and taking care of my brothers and me. I only have two brothers. My father’s name is Pedro Calachij Jimon. He works in a gas station to support our family. He did not recognize me legally when I was born because he had some marital problems with my mom. However, he told me that he will recognize me soon.

Thankfully, my whole family is doing well. We attend the Catholic Church in our village. We live in our own house. It is made of concrete blocks with a tin sheet roof and a ceramic floor. It only has two rooms, so we use one of them as a kitchen. We have electricity but no running water at home. Luckily, one of my uncles shares the water with us, and my father pays half the bill. I ask you to pray for my family and our needs, especially for food. In advance, thank you so much! We live about 10 minutes from the feeding program. We usually take a minibus to get there on time. Thank you so much for reading my letter. See you later!

Huge hugs,

Cristina Yaneth Obispo Ajqui

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala