My Story

Zacualpa is a small but busy village in a mountain valley. The village is inhabited by both Quiché 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 name is Abby Ester Itzayana Tino Chitic and I am glad to share a little bit about my life. I was born on July 17, 2017. I am a healthy girl and I attend school as a kindergartener. I enjoy playing with my dolls. I love horses! My favorite color is pink, and my favorite meal is spaghetti. The people who I live with are my biological parents. I have two brothers. My father’s name is Agustin Tino Gomez. He is a dentist and works in our town for other people. He is also a merchant and serves at church. We attend Prince of Peace Pentecostal Church. My mother’s name is Sara Manuela Chitic Pol. She does a great work as a housewife.

My family and I live in a rented house. My father pays Q1000=$127.54 per month. The house has two rooms and a separate kitchen. The walls are made of concrete blocks with concrete roofs and ceramic floors. We have electricity and running water. Besides the rent payment, my father must pay for the services. Our greatest need is to have groceries. My siblings and I walk five minutes from our house to get to the feeding program. I will leave you now, but I want you to know that my mother helped me to give all this information to a teacher of LW. See you later!

With much love,

Abby Ester Itzayana Tino Chitic

Translated by: Hillary Popol / AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala