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.

Many greetings from the beautiful mountains in Quiche! My full name is Juan Jose Coj Coj, and I am so happy to share my information with you. I was born on December 27, 2016. I am a healthy 9-year-old boy. I am in third grade and have a lot of fun playing soccer. My favorite color is green. I like dogs and my favorite meal is fried chicken. I am glad to share that I have a healthy family. I live with my mother and siblings. I have two brothers and one sister. My mother’s name is Yolanda Coj Ruiz. She is a housewife and sells chickens and pigs raised at home to get some income.

I do not have my father with me because he separated from my mother about two years ago. However, we receive his financial support monthly. His name is Jose Coj Garcia and he makes a living as a mechanic. About our spiritual life, we attend the Church of Christ. We live in our own three-room house that has a kitchen. It is made of concrete block with a metal tin sheet roof and concrete floor. We have electricity and we get water from a natural spring. The feeding program is about ten minutes from where I live, so my mother and I get there on a motorcycle taxi. I will say goodbye to you now, but I hope you enjoyed this letter. See you later!

Lots of love,

Juan Jose Coj Coj

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