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.

Hello! It is a pleasure to write to you for the first time. I hope things turn out well for you and your family. Before starting, I would like you to know that my mother gave all this information to the LW team. Well, my name is Ashly Yojana Esperanza Cux Toj. I was born on June 29, 2013. I am 11 years old. I attend the 5^th grade at school this year. My favorite color is purple, and my favorite pet is the rabbit. I enjoy tasting chicken with sauce. Thank God, my health is good. My hobby is playing soccer. I like attending the feeding program, and I usually go alone. I usually ride my bicycle for 15 minutes to arrive.

Talking about my family. My father´s name is Silverio Cux Cux. Sadly, he abandoned our family 8 years ago. We do not have any communication or receive any economic support from him. My mother´s name is Maria Yojana Toj Morente. She has a part-time-job as a maid to support our family. Moreover, she established a new relationship with Felipe Cruz de la Cruz. He is 29 years old and works as a mason´s helper. He contributes to the family income. I have one brother. Fortunately, my family attends church. As a family, our greatest necessities are clothes and food. We do not have our own house, so my mother rents one. She pays Q400.00 = $ 53.33 every month. There are two rooms, and one is the kitchen. It is made of block and cemented roof and floor. There is running water and electricity that my mother pays for. We do not have any domestic animals at home. Well, this is all for now. I hope to write to you again soon. May God bless you and your whole family! I send many hugs from Guatemala.

Best wishes,

Ashly Yojana Esperanza Cux Toj

Translated by: Mireya de Sandoval, AAC Secretary / Antigua