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! this is Mayeli Julieta Calachij Rodriguez and I greet you cordially hoping you are doing fine when my letter reaches you. I am ten years old and I was born on April 15, 2015 in Zacualpa, Quiche. I am a healthy girl and I am in 2^nd grade at school. My hobby is to play with my friends. I like pink and cats are my favorite. I enjoy eating fried chicken. I have two brothers and five sisters. I walk for fifteen minutes to come to the Feeding Center, but sometimes, I travel by a tuk-tuk (moto-taxi) and arrive there in 5 minutes. My cousins are part of the Feeding Center and we attend together.

I live under my mother`s care because my father is living and working in the United States. He has been there for several years, so he did not recognize me when I was born because he was living there. So, I only have my mother`s last names. My father earns a living in a fish market. He sends money every fifteen days to cover our needs, but sometimes it is not enough and we are in need of groceries.  Moreover, he calls us every weekend. His name is Francisco Gutierrez and my mother`s name is Catarina Calachij Rodriguez. She dedicates her time to the family and she does the housework. My parents are in good health. I live in my mother`s house and we have two rooms with a separate kitchen. The rooms are made of adobe walls, tin sheet roof and dirt floor. We have running water and my father pays for the service once a month. We also have electricity and the payment is yearly. We have hens and pigs as domestic animals, but we would like to have some chicks and we have enough space in the house. We belong to the Catholic Church. It was a pleasure to tell you my little story and I hope you like to read my news. I send you all my love!

In Jesus’ name,

Mayeli Julieta Calachij Rodriguez

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