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.

My name is Anthony Rodolfo Villagran Sapon and thank you very much for taking the time to read my little story. I was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala on October 8, 2013. I am a healthy eleven-year-old boy. I am studying 4^th grade at school and I like to watch TV in my spare time. I love dogs and red color.  I prefer to eat Chow Mein. I have three sisters.  My sister Jade and my cousins are part of this project, so we walk together for ten minutes to arrive there. We live under my mother`s care and I only have my mother`s last names. I do not know anything about my biological father. My mother`s name is Helen Azucena Villagran Sapon and she is the only one that sustains me financially. She is a street vendor and she earns a living by selling home-made snacks every day. It is so difficult to cover every expense and our frequent needs are groceries. We belong to the Catholic Church.

We live in my Aunt Rosa’s house. My grandmother and aunt live with us.  We have eight rooms and one separated kitchen. We share the kitchen with some relatives. The house is made of block walls, tin sheet roof and cemented floors. We have running water and electricity. Every member of my family shared the payments for those services. Well, this was my personal information and I send you all the best through this. Every kind of blessing to you!

A bunch of hugs,

Anthony Rodolfo Villagran Sapon

Translated by:  Gladys Chavez / A-A-C Secretary-Antigua