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 so excited to greet you in this opportunity and introduce myself to you! My name is Brittany Yarikza Johana Chingo Quino, and I am 10 years old. My birthdate is July 18, 2015, and I was born in Joyabaj village. I live alongside my parents, one brother and one sister. Jacinto Chingo Hernandez is my father; he makes a living as a farmer. Estela Quino Riz de De Chingo is my mother; she usually stays at home and does the household work. I am so happy because God has blessed us with good health.

Now, I will share a few things about myself. I am in 4^th grade this year. I enjoy playing with my dolls in my free time. I love the color pink, and the animal I like the most is the cat. The meal I love the most is fried chicken. We are a Christian family and we are attending the Mount Sinai Church. Thank God, we live in our property; my father owns the house. It is an adobe house; there are two rooms and a separate kitchen. We have running water and electricity; The water is a yearly payment, and the electricity is a monthly payment. We raise hens. As a family, our greatest needs are groceries. It is a great blessing for me to be enrolled in the feeding program; I live 30 minutes away from the program and I get there by moto taxi. My mom accompanies my sister and me to the program. Well, this is all for now, but feel free to ask for more information about me. Many blessings!

With much love,

Brittany Yarikza Johana Chingo Quino

Translated by: Violeta Hernandez / A-A-C Secretary-Antigua Guatemala