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! it is a blessing for me to greet you cordially and tell you my little story. My name is Henry Otoniel Chingo Riz and I was born in Zacualpa, Quiche on May 22, 2016. I am 9 years old and I am studying the 3^rd grade at school. My pastime is to ride a bike and play soccer. I love lions and the color blue. I enjoy eating chicken soup and beef broth. I am thankful because I am in good health. I have two brothers and only one sister. My brother and I are happy because we are part of this project. We travel to the Feeding Center by a moto-taxi (tuk-tuk) and we arrive there in twenty minutes.

I live under my parent`s care and they are in good health. My father`s name is Genaro Chingo Luis. He earns a living by driving a public bus from our village while my mother Martina Riz de Leon raises and sells the hens and pigs to get some income and support my father with the home expenses. The house where I live belongs to my parents and my paternal grandmother lives with us. We have four rooms with one separated kitchen. The walls are made of block, tin sheet roof and cemented floors. We have running water and electricity. My father pays the water service yearly and he pays the electricity bill monthly. We have hens and pigs at home, but we would like to have some chicks because we have space in the house for them. We are a humble family and our current needs are groceries, clothing and school supplies. Currently, we are not attending any church. I hope you like to read my news and thank you for your attention. I send you all my best wishes!

Strong hugs,

Henry Otoniel Chingo Riz

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