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 Juana Madelyn Gomez Grave. I was born in Joyabaj, Quiche on May 31, 2020, so I am 5 years old. I am not studying yet due to my young age, but I stay at home and play with dolls. I love unicorns and the color purple. I enjoy eating eggs and noodles. I am a healthy girl and I am the only daughter of my parents. They are in good health and my mother accompanies me to the Feeding Center. We arrive there and return to our home by moto-taxi (tuk-tuk) and my mother pays Q 14.00 (US$ 2). I live under my parents’ care. My father`s name is Alex Gustavo Gomez Morente. My mother`s name is Marta Estela Grave Lopez. My father earns a living by driving a moto-taxi in our village in order to sustain us while my mother Marta Estela Grave Lopez tends her small grocery store and also does the housework.  We are a humble family and we are in need of groceries. As a family we belong to Mount Sinai Christian Church.

The house where we live belongs to my grandmother and we have three rooms. The rooms are made of adobe walls, tin sheet roof and cemented floor. We have running water and electricity. My father pays the water service once a year and he pays the electricity bill monthly. We do not have domestic animals at home, but we would like to have some chicks and we have enough space at home for them. May God bless you greatly!

I send you all the best,

Juana Madelyn Gomez Grave

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