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! I am so happy to introduce myself through this. My name is Sheily Amelia Gomez Garcia. I was born on April 4^th, 2014, in Joyabaj, Quiche, Guatemala. I am 10 years old. I am in the 5^th grade at school. I love drawing in my free time. My favorite color is pink and my favorite animal is the dog. I like to eat beef broth. I have no siblings. I attend the Zacualpa feeding program and I get there in 30 minutes by walking.

My father´s name is Samuel Gomez Chingo. He does not live with us because he has been in prison for about two years. Due to his situation, he does not support us. My mother´s name is Marcela Garcia Simaj. She works as a babysitter and is the one who provides for our needs. She also raises hens. My mother has been suffering from headaches and fortunately, she already visited a doctor. As for me, I feel bad when I eat any fatty food. Thanks to God, now I will receive medical care in LW clinics. At the moment, we are living in a house which belongs to one of my aunts because our house is under construction. There are four rooms and we use three of them; the kitchen is separated. It is an adobe house with a tin sheet roof and a dirt floor. We have running water and electricity services; my mother and aunt pay the bills. For now, we pray to our Lord to allow us to get enough resources to improve our house. We attend Ebenezer Church. This is all for now. I hope you enjoy reading my letter. Many and abundant blessings over you!

Kisses and hugs,

Sheily Amelia Gomez Garcia

Translated by: Violeta Hernandez, AAC Secretary / Antigua