My Story

Zacualpa is a small but busy village in a mountain valley. The village is inhabited by both Quiché 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! My name is Alicia Yessenia Perez Alonso and I am delighted to tell you my story through this letter. Before doing it, I want you to know that my mother helped me to give all this information to a teacher of LW. I was born on August 10, 2010. I am excited because I can attend the feeding program. I usually walk for five minutes from my house to get there. I am attending school as a six grader and my favorite color is black. After attending school, I enjoy playing soccer. My favorite animals are cats and I love eating spaghetti. I live with my biological parents and youngest brother, Henry. My father’s name is Henry Oliverio Perez Granados. He works hard as a mechanic to support our family.

My mother’s name is Maria Crisenta Alonso Saquic. She works in a bakery for other people to help my father with the income. As for health, let me tell you that my brother suffers from dengue and because of that, he must take medicines. The rest of my family and I are in good condition. At the moment, we do not attend any church. We live in a rented house. My parents pay Q800=$102.01 per month. The house has one room and a separate kitchen. The walls are made of concrete blocks with concrete roofs and ceramic floors. We have electricity and running water. We would love to have our house. Therefore, I would like to count on your prayers for my family and me. I say goodbye to you now, but I appreciate you taking the time to read my letter.

With much love,

Alicia Yessenia Perez Alonso

Translated by: Hillary Popol / AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala