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! It is my pleasure to introduce myself through this letter. My name is Leismar Manuel Morente Garcia. I was born on December 12^th, 2014 in Zacualpa, Quiche, Guatemala. I am 10 years old and I am in good health. I am in the 5^th grade at school. In my free time, I like to play football. My favorite color is blue and my favorite animal is the cat. I like to eat pork. I attend the Zacualpa feeding program and I get there in 30 minutes by walking; I go with my friends or with my uncles.  

My father is Jose Morente De La Cruz. He works as a mechanic in his own workshop. My mother is Candelaria Garcia Luis. She takes care of the house and raises hens, turkeys and pigs. I have no brothers or sisters. Fortunately, we live on our own property and share the house with my maternal grandma and some uncles. There are three adobe rooms with tin sheet roof and a dirt floor. The kitchen is separate from the house. We do not have running water service, but one of our neighbors shares it with us, and my parents help pay the bill; it is only one payment a year. The electricity payment is monthly and my father pays for it. We are not attending any church for now. At the moment, our greatest needs are groceries and school supplies. I hope you enjoy reading my letter. Every kind of blessing over you!

Lots of love,

Leismar Manuel Morente Garcia

Translated by: Violeta Hernandez, AAC Secretary / Antigua