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 smalltown 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.

It is a wonderful opportunity to share a little bit about me. I hope you are doing great in your country. My name is Jessica Tomasa Alvarez Jimon. I was born on June 18, 2017. I am 7 years old. I come from a humble family. My father´s name is Vitalino Alvarez and my mother´s is Santos Jimon Ajqui. They both struggle to support our family by working as day laborers. My father works 3 or 4 days a week. Moreover, my mother does the housework and takes care of us. I have 3 brothers and one sister. Thankfully, they are all healthy.

I attend school this year, and I am in the 1^st grade. My favorite color is purple, and my favorite animal is the cow. I love eating chicken and noodles. My health is good currently. In my free time, I enjoy playing tag and with dolls. I go to the feeding program with my siblings and mother. We walk for an hour and then take a bus for 20 minutes. As a family, our greatest needs are clothes and food. We are members of the Catholic Church. Our house belongs to my mother. We share it with my maternal grandparents. It has 3 rooms and a kitchen. It is made of tin sheet and tile roof, block and adobe walls and cemented floor. We have some chickens as domestic animals. The electricity service is paid for by my parents every month. We get our water from a natural spring that belongs to our neighbor. It is 3 or 5 minutes away from home. My parents do not pay anything for the water; they just help with the maintenance. We carry the water home through plastic jars. Well, this is a little about of my life. Thank you for your interest in me. May God bless you and your whole family.

Kisses and hugs,

Jessica Tomasa Alvarez Jimon

Translated by: Mireya de Sandoval, AAC Secretary / Antigua