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 smalltown 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, it is a wonderful privilege to write to you and share a little bit about my family and me. I am Cerbando de la Cruz Ajqui. I was born on March 20, 2015. I am 9 years old. I am in the 2^nd grade at school this year. I like light blue, and my favorite animal is the chicken. I enjoy eating fried chicken. In my free time, I like playing with marbles. Thank God, I am in good health. It is a blessing to be in the feeding program. I attend there with my father, and we usually walk for 45 minutes to be there.

About my family, well, my father is Sebastian de la Cruz. He struggles to support us by working as a day laborer. Moreover, he cuts and sells firewood and farms the land. My mother is Angelica Ajqui de la Cruz de la Cruz. She is a housewife and contributes economically by raising chickens for selling when needed. I have two brothers and two sisters. They are all enrolled at the program too. My family attends the Catholic Church. Corn, groceries and shoes are our greatest necessities at home. Thankfully, all are healthy at home. My paternal aunt shares her house with us. Thankfully, my family does not have to pay anything. The house has two rooms and a kitchen. It is made of a tile roof, adobe walls and dirt floor. My paternal uncle gives us running water. There is also electricity, and we take turns with my aunt to pay for both services. Our domestic animals are sheep, chickens, turkeys and a pig. Well, this is all for now, but before saying goodbye, I want you to know that my father gave all this information to the LW team. I pray to the Lord to keep you well and healthy with your family. Take care!

With love,

Cerbando de la Cruz Ajqui

Translated by: Mireya de Sandoval, AAC Secretary / Antigua