My Story

Zacualpa is a small but busy village in a mountain valley. The village is inhabited by both Quiché 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! My heart is beating with joy to greet you through this letter. My name is Robinho Kcris de Leon Garcia and this is my story. I was born on July 20, 2019. I am glad because I am attending school as a preschooler. I like playing with my toy cars and my favorite pets are dogs. My favorite color is red, and I love eating rice. I live with my biological parents and siblings. I have one brother and two sisters. My father’s name is Jose de Leon Benito. He makes a living by farming the land for other people and sometimes assists masons to get an extra income to support our family. My mother’s name is Estela Garcia Luis. As a housewife, she keeps busy doing the chores and raising her domestic animals. We have hens at home. As for health, let me tell you that we are doing well.

My family and I attend the Catholic Church in our village. We live in our own house. It has two rooms and a separate kitchen. The walls are made of concrete blocks with a tin sheet roof and concrete floors. We have electricity but no running water at home. Fortunately, my maternal grandmother shares that service with us for free. My siblings and I enjoy attending the feeding program. Some of our greatest needs are groceries. We usually walk 10 minutes from our house to get to the program. To end this letter, I want you to know that my mom helped me to give all this information to a teacher of LW. I send you many kisses and hugs, and I hope to hear from you soon.

In the name of Jesus,

Robinho Kcris de Leon Garcia

Translated by: Hillary Popol / AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala