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! My name is Ana Cristina Gutierrez Garcia. I was born on March 2^nd, 2013, in Joyabaj, Quiche, Guatemala. I am 12 years old and I am healthy. I am in the 6^th grade at school this year. I like to play hide-and-seek with my siblings or friends. My favorite color is red and my favorite animal is the peacock. I like to eat grilled meat. I have one brother and one sister. I attend the Zacualpa feeding program with my siblings and aunt, and we get there in 30 minutes by walking. Sometimes, we go by tuk-tuk and it takes 15 minutes.

My father is Rolando Gutierrez Riz. He usually works as a day laborer, but he works as a farmer during the growing season. My mother is Felisa Garcia Morente. She takes care of the house and raises hens. She also goes to sell chopped fruit in bags outside a school to get income. My parents and siblings are in good health. We do not have our own house; thanks to God and a very kind man, we have a place to live. The man is so generous and only asks my parents to pay for the bills for the running water and electricity services, and of course, my father pays for those. My parents paid a fee in the past as rent, but not anymore. The house is made of adobe with a cement and tile roof and a cement floor. There are 3 rooms, two are bedrooms and we use the other one as a kitchen. As a family, our main needs are groceries. At the moment, we do not attend any church. I say goodbye to you for now but I would like to hear news from you very soon. May God bless you!

Warm hugs,

Ana Cristina Gutierrez Garcia

Translated by: Violeta Hernandez, AAC Secretary / Antigua