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. 

Many greetings to you! My name is Jaiden Dila Morente Gomez, and I am excited to share my information with you. I was born on January 31, 2021. I suffered from bronchitis when I was a baby. Thankfully, my parents took me to the doctor, and I received treatment. Today, I am doing well. However, I suffer from a serious cough when the weather is colder than usual. I am too young to attend school. I have a lot of fun playing with my toy cars and soccer. My favorite domestic animal is the rabbit. I love having fried chicken for my meals. My favorite color is red. Now, let me tell you about my family. I only have one sister. My father’s name is Oscar Morente Benito. He makes a living as a farmer and day laborer. My mother’s name is Josefa Gomez Riz. Besides taking care of our family, she also works as a day laborer and embroiders napkins to contribute to the household expenses.  

Please pray for my family and our well-being. Some of our needs are clothes and food. My father has suffered from backaches, and my mother has had headaches for many years. Due to our low financial resources, they have not been able to go to the doctor. We attend the Catholic Church in our town. Luckily, we live in our own house. It is made of adobe with tin sheet roof and dirt floors. It only has one room, a separate kitchen, but no electricity or running water either. However, we use candles and flashlights at night. We are grateful to my grandmother, on my mother’s side, for allowing us to carry water from her house to ours. We use plastic vessels for it. We raise some chickens and turkeys for our consumption. We also have one dog and one cat as pets at home. The feeding program is about 15 minutes away from where we live. To get there, we usually take a motorcycle taxi. I will leave you now, but I appreciate you reading my information.  

With love,  

Jaiden Dila Morente Gomez 

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala