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. This is Gladis Estela Gonzalez Lindo and I was born in Joyabaj Quiche on October 15, 2020. I am four years old and I am not studying yet due to my young age. I stay at home and play with dolls. My favorite color is pink. I love cats and I like to eat fried chicken. I am the only daughter of my mother and my aunt accompanies me to the Feeding Center. She pays a moto-taxi (tuk-tuk) and we arrive in ten minutes. I live under my maternal grandmother`s care because my mother is working in Joyabaj village in the tortillas business in order to sustain me financially because she is the only one that supports me. My mother`s name is Micaela Gonzalez Lindo. She visits me every weekend, and by the grace of God, we are doing fine and in good health. I do not know anything about my biological father because he abandoned my mother when she was pregnant. I only have my mother`s last name. My mother tries to cover all of my needs, but sometimes it is so difficult for her. We are a humble family and our frequent and priority needs are groceries, corn, clothing and shoes. Unfortunately, we are not attending any church.

I live in my grandparent`s house. They live with us and my uncles live there too. We have five rooms and one separated kitchen. The rooms are made of adobe, tin sheet and dirt floors. We have electricity and my grandfather pays for the service. We get water from a well. Well, it was a pleasure to tell you my little story and I hope you like to read it. Blessings to you!

In Jesus’ name,

Gladis Estela Gonzalez Lindo

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