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! My name is Mario Oscar Victor Gonzalez Lopez and I was born in Joyabaj Quiche on July 2, 2017. I am 8 years old and I am not enrolled at school because I do not like to go. My biological parents name`s are Maria Gonzalez Lopez and Jesus Garcia Ruiz, but legally I do not have my father`s last names because when I was born in the hospital there was an error and my parents have not been able to change it due to a lack of money because they need to pay for the legal procedures. I stay at home every day and I play with toy cars. Also, I like to shepherd the sheep along with my grandmother Sandra Castro. I love the color red and ducks. My favorite meal is beans and sausages. I have three brothers and two of them are registered in this project. My father or mother accompanies us to come by a moto-taxi (tuk-tuk) and we arrive there in fifteen minutes.  

By the grace of God, my parents and my family are in good health. As a family our current needs are groceries and clothing. At the moment, we are not attending any church. I live under my parent`s care, and my father earns a living by working as a farmer and day laborer. In addition, he travels to the coast for six months to cut sugar cane during the harvest season, and he provides for our family needs while my mother raises and sells hens, pigs and turkeys. Moreover, she embroiders napkins to sell and support my father with the home expenses. I live in my parents’ house which consists of two adobe rooms, tin sheet roof and dirt floors. We only have electricity and my father pays the bill monthly but there is no running water. We buy a big water barrel for Q 10.00 (US$1.00) and we go to a nearby river to wash our clothing.  We have hens, pigs and sheep at home, and we would like to have some chicks because we have enough space in the house for them. I say goodbye to you for now, but I hope you like to read my personal information. Thank you for your attention!

Sincerely yours,

Mario Oscar Victor Gonzalez Lopez

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