Zacualpa is a small but busy village in a mountain valley. The village is inhabited by both Quiche Mayans 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 full name is Vilma Yareli Hernandez Pu, and I greet you from the beautiful Zacualpa village. I was born on November 16, 2018. I am a healthy 6-year-old girl. I am in kindergarten. I have a lot of fun playing hide-and-seek with my siblings and friends. My favorite color is pink. I love eating chicken broth. My favorite animals are rabbits. I am a lucky girl because I have a lovely family. I have two brothers and four sisters. We attend the Catholic Church alongside our parents. My father’s name is Juan Hernandez Simaj. He works as a day laborer. My mother’s name is Manuela Pu Tino. She is a housewife and a seamstress. I love my parents because they work hard to cover all our needs. Our priorities are groceries, clothes, shoes, and a new stove. The stove we had no longer works, so my mother uses firewood to cook our meals.  

The house where we live belongs to my father. It is made of adobe, a tile roof, and a concrete floor. It has five rooms and a separate kitchen, but there is no running water or electricity. Thankfully, my grandfather allows us to carry water from his house to ours by using a plastic vessel. He has the blessing of having a spring on his property. In addition, he shares the electricity service with us. My father helps him pay the electricity bill monthly. We have some chickens and pigs at home. We raise them for our consumption. I am excited because I can attend the feeding program alongside my siblings. We usually walk for one hour from our house to get there. Thank you so much for reading my letter! I look forward to hearing about your life soon.  

With much love,  

Vilma Yareli Hernandez Pu 

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala