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 greet you cordially and for me it is a privilege to tell you about me. This is Juan Abraham Israel Soc De Leon and I was born in Joyabaj, Quiche on November 19^th 2019. I am 5 years old and I am not enrolled at school yet due to a lack of money, but I stay at home and I like to play with toy cars. My favorite color is blue and I love cats. I enjoy eating fried chicken. I am a healthy boy and I live under my mother`s care because my biological father is living and working in the United States. He did not recognize me legally because he has his own family, so I only have my mother`s last name. In spite of this, he always sends money to sustain the family, but the money is not enough to cover every expense, so we are in need of groceries, corn, clothes and shoes. He is in communication with us and his name is Israel Toj Rodriguez. My mother`s name is Magdalena Soc de Leon and she does the chores at home. Moreover, she raises domestic animals to sell and get some income when she needs money. My brother Josue is working in a bakery and he also contributes to the home expenses. Thankfully, my whole family and I are in good health. I have one brother and one sister and they are part of this project. We walk 15 minutes from our house to the Feeding Center. We are members of United Pentecostal Christian Church.

We live in our uncle`s house and we have two rooms and one separated kitchen. The house is made of tin sheet walls and roof with dirt floors. We have electricity, but there is no water. We get it from my grandmother`s house. So, we take a shower and wash our clothing there. My father sends money to pay the electricity service. We have hens and turkeys, but we would like to have some chicks because we have enough space there. I will say goodbye to you for now, but I send you my best wishes. May God bless you!

Warm wishes,

Juan Abraham Israel Soc De Leon

Translated by:  Gladys Chavez / A-A-C Secretary-Antigua