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 smalltown 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 am Water Danilo de León Garcia. I feel happy to greet you for the very first time. My mother helped me to give you all this information to introduce myself to you. I was born on August 14, 2018. I am 6 years old, and I am pre-kinder at school this year. My favorite color is yellow, and I like cats. I love eating egg cake. In my free time, I enjoy playing with toy cars. I have one brother and one sister. I attend the feeding program with my mother and sometimes with my aunt. Sometimes, we walk for 45 minutes, and sometimes we take a tuc-tuc for 20 minutes to arrive there.

I live happily with my family. My father´s name is Jorge de Leon Toj. He earns a living by farming the land, and sometimes as a day laborer. My mother´s name is Cecilia Garcia Chavez. She weaves typical belts. Moreover, she takes care of us and the house. About my family´s health, well it is good thanks to God. We attend the Prince of Peace Pentecostal Church. Clothes and food are the greatest necessities that we have as a family. Thankfully, my mother owns a one-room house and a kitchen. It is made of adobe, tin sheet roof and dirt floor. There is a water birth also and we carry the water for our consumption with plastic jars. We do not have electricity, so one neighbor shares the service with us, and my father pays for it. However, my parents are in the process of getting our own service. We own some domestic animals such as chickens and a pig. Well, it is time to say goodbye to you. I appreciate that you took the time to read about me. Thank you for loving me. I send you my best wishes and many blessings. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Best regards,

Walter Danilo de Leon Garcia

Translated by: Mireya de Sandoval, AAC Secretary / Antigua