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! I fondly greet you from beautiful Guatemala. My name is Keidy Daniela Gutierrez Ruiz, and I hope you find my information engaging. I was born on November 26, 2021. I am 4 years old, and because of my young age, I do not attend school. I have a lot of fun playing with my toy dishes. My favorite color is pink and I like rabbits. I enjoy having fried chicken for my meals. There are only two children in my family, my older sister and I. We live with our parents and maternal grandparents. My father’s name is Hector Daniel Gutierrez Morente. He makes a living by cutting sugar cane at the coast. To contribute to the expenses, my mother works by washing clothes and cleaning houses. Her name is Felisa Ruiz Hernandez de Gutierrez.

Fortunately, my whole family and I are all doing well. We attend the Catholic Church. The owners of the house where we live are my grandparents. The house is made of adobe with tile roof and concrete floor. It has one room and a separated kitchen. We have the electricity service at home, but no running water. Please pray for us. We are a humble family and it has been challenging to buy water. About domestic animals, let me tell you that we raise a few chickens at home. I am grateful to be part of the feeding program. We live about 30 minutes from the program, so my mother usually takes me in a tuk-tuk to get there. I will say goodbye to you for now, but I send my best wishes.

From the bottom of my heart,

Keidy Daniela Gutierrez Ruiz

Translated by: Hillary Popol, A-A-C Secretary / Guatemala