My Story

Zacualpa is a small but busy village in a mountain valley. The village is inhabited by both Quiché Indians 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! It is my pleasure to introduce myself in this opportunity. My name is Aaron Otoniel Morente De Leon. I was born on August 10^th, 2019, in Joyabaj, Quiche, Guatemala. I am 5 years old and I am a healthy boy. Since I am too young, I am not attending school yet.  I spend my time playing football and with my toy cars. My favorite color is blue and my favorite animal is the dog. I love eating scrambled eggs. I have one brother and no sisters. Our pet is a cat. I attend the Zacualpa feeding program and I get there in 20 minutes by walking; my mother accompanies me. Sometimes, we take a tuk-tuk and arrive in 5 minutes.

My father is Manuel Morente Luis. He works both as a farmer and day labor; he usually works three or four days weekly. My mother is Miriam Leticia De Leon Chingo. She takes care of the house and raises hens. By the grace of God, my parents are in good health. Thankfully, we live in our own house. There are 2 adobe rooms with a tile roof and a cement floor. The kitchen is in one of the rooms. There are running water and electricity services, and my father pays for them. The water is a yearly payment, and the electricity is a monthly payment. Our greatest needs are groceries. We attend a Christian Church. I say goodbye to you for now and I hope to hear news from you very soon. Many and abundant blessings over you!

Lots of love,

Aaron Otoniel Morente De Leon

Translated by: Violeta Hernandez, AAC Secretary / Antigua