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.

Hello, good afternoon! It is such a blessing to greet you through this letter. My name is Leidy Vanesa Riz Gonzalez and I will tell you a little bit about my life. I was born on April 30, 2022. Thankfully, I am in good health and I do not attend school due to my age. Some of my interests are playing with dolls. My favorite color is purple. I like cats, and my favorite food is fried chicken. I live with my parents and four siblings. I have one brother and three sisters. My father’s name is Vicente Riz Tino and he works as a day laborer in our village. My mother’s name is Mart Gonzalez Lindo and she also works as a day laborer to contribute to the expenses.

I want you to know that my oldest brother had an accident on a motorcycle some months ago. Due to that, he suffered from a nerve disturbance. Fortunately, he is much better. The rest of my family is doing well. We live in our own-two room house with a separate kitchen and electricity. We do not have running water at home, but one of our neighbors sells us water for Q10=$1.31 per barrel. Some of my siblings are enrolled at the feeding program. It is about 20 minutes away from where we live, so we usually take a bus to get there faster. It is time to say goodbye, but I hope to hear from you soon. Until next time!

Sincerely yours,

Leidy Vanesa Riz Gonzalez

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary / Guatemala