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 am very happy to share my information through this. My full name is Blanca Marisol Riz Garcia. I was born on August 29^th, 2019 in Zacualpa, Quiche, Guatemala. I am 5 years old and fortunately, I am a healthy girl. I am in pre-kindergarten this year. In my free time I like to play with my dolls. My favorite color is pink and my favorite animal is the cow. I like to eat rice and black beans. I have one brother and no sisters. I attend the Zacualpa feeding program and I get there in 30 minutes by walking.

My father´s name is Fernando Riz de la Cruz. Unfortunately, he abandoned us and established another family; we know nothing about him. My mother´s name is Rosa Garcia Simaj. She struggles to provide for our family; she grows some herbs and veggies to sell and she also washes clothes to get income. She also raises hens. My mother is the owner of the house in which we live, and we share it with two aunts and a cousin. There are three adobe rooms with a tin sheet roof and a dirt floor. The kitchen is separate. There are running water and electricity services; my mother and aunts contribute to pay the bill. We attend Catholic Church. I hope you enjoy reading my information. May God bless you!

Bunch of hugs,

Blanca Marisol Riz Garcia

Translated by: Violeta Hernandez, AAC Secretary / Antigua