My Story

Zacualpa is a small but busy village in a mountain valley. The village is inhabited by both Quiche 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.

Special regards! I am Oliver Anthony Barreno Garcia and I am excited to share a little about my life with you. I was born on December 31, 2016. I am 9 years old and I love playing ball. My favorite color is blue. I like dogs, and my favorite dish is fried chicken. I do not attend school at the moment, but I hope to do it next year. The people who I live with are my mother and young brother. Fortunately, we are all in good health. We do not attend any church at the moment. My mother’s name is Mirta Garcia Gomez. She works hard as a domestic employee in our town to cover our needs, especially food. While she works, my aunt takes care of my brother and me. Her name is Rosa Garcia and she also lives with us.

I want to open my heart and tell you that I do not have my father with me because he separated from my mother about two years ago. Since then, I do not know anything about him. His name is Moises Barreno Sion. My family and I live in our own two-room house with a separate kitchen, electricity, and running water. The house is made of adobe with tile roof and concrete floors. We have chickens at home for our consumption. I live about ten minutes away from the feeding program. My aunt and I usually walk to get there, but we sometimes take a bus too. I will leave you now, but if you want to hear something else about me, feel free to ask me.

Sincerely yours,

Oliver Anthony Barreno Garcia

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary / Guatemala