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 excited to introduce myself through this. My name is Yostyn Darel Garcia Suar. I was born on July 1^st, 2020 in Joyabaj, Quiche, Guatemala. I am 4 years old and I am doing well. Due to my young age, I am not attending school yet. So, I spend my time playing with my toy cars. My favorite color is green and my favorite animal is the dog. I love eating rice with black beans. I have no brothers nor sisters. I attend the Zacualpa feeding program alongside one of my aunts and we get there in 15 minutes by taking a tuk-tuk.

My mother is Brenda Griselda Suar Riz, and thanks to God, she is in good health. She struggles to provide for our needs; she works both as a farmer and day laborer to get income. She also raises hens. My father is Jose Israel Garcia Ventura. Unfortunately, he abandoned us and we do not receive any support from him. The house belongs to my grandparents, and we share it with them and some aunties. There are 3 adobe rooms with a tin sheet roof and dirt floors. The kitchen is separate There are running water and electricity services. The water is a yearly payment, and the electricity is a monthly payment. Our greatest needs are groceries. At the moment we do not attend church. Well, this is all for now hoping to hear news from you very soon. Every kind of blessing over you!

Warm hugs,

Yostyn Darel Garcia Suar

Translated by: Violeta Hernandez, AAC Secretary / Antigua