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 Sabina Sheila Ajqui de la Cruz. I was born on April 27^th, 2015, in Zacualpa, Quiche, Guatemala. I will turn 10 years old this year and I am in good health. I am in the 2^nd grade. I like to play with my dolls. My favorite color is pink and my favorite animal is the cat. I like to eat chicken soup. I have one brother and three sisters. I attend the Zacualpa feeding program and I get there in 10 minutes by walking; my mother goes with me.

My father is Felix Ajqui Hernandez. He usually works as a farmer and now, he sells fried chicken and fries on Thursdays to get extra income. My mother is Estela de la Cruz Barrera. She takes care of the house and occasionally, goes to work as a day laborer. My parents and siblings are in good health. We live in a rented house and the monthly payment is Q1,000.00 = $134.00. It is only one room made of concrete blocks with a concrete roof and a cement floor. There is no kitchen, and my mother cooks in a small space inside the room. We have running water and electricity services. The water is a yearly payment, and the electricity is a monthly payment. As a family, our greatest needs are groceries and clothes. We do not attend any church. Thank you for reading my information. Many and abundant blessings over you!

Bunch of hugs,

Sabina Sheila Ajqui de la Cruz

Translated by: Violeta Hernandez, AAC Secretary / Antigua