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. 

Hello! This is Keila Isabela Ruiz Riz, and I am delighted to share about my life with you. I was born on August 28, 2021. I am too young to attend school, so I stay home. I like playing with my dolls, but I have a lot of fun drawing and painting. My favorite color is pink. I love kitties because they are lovely. My favorite food is fried chicken. I am a lucky girl because I have a lovely family. At the moment, I only have three brothers. My father’s name is Julio Ruiz Chingo. He is a farmer and day laborer in our village. He also travels to the coast and works by cutting sugar cane for six months. My mother’s name is Sebastiana Isabel Riz Ruiz. She is a housewife and raises chickens and pigs to sell. She strives to contribute to the expenses. Our priorities are food and clothes. We do not attend any church.  

We live in a house which belongs to one of our relatives. We are grateful to him because he does not charge us rent. We only have to cover the electricity and running water services. The house is made of concrete blocks, concrete roofs, and concrete floors. It has two rooms and a separate kitchen. We live about 20 minutes away from the feeding program. To get there fast, we usually take a tuk-tuk. I will leave you now, but I hope you found my information engaging. Have a blessed day! 

From the bottom of my heart,  

Keila Isabela Ruiz Riz 

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala