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! My full name is Cristina Eliza Noemi Tzoy Saloj and I am so happy to share with you a little about my life. I am a healthy girl and I love playing soccer as a pastime. I was born on August 1, 2014 in Joyabaj, Quiche. I am 12 years old and I am in fifth grade. My favorite color is black. I like cats, and spaghetti is what I like eating the most. About my family, I tell you that I have three siblings and I am the youngest child. I have one brother and two sisters and they help me a little economically. My mother works hard by selling domestic animals that she raises to support me. Her name is Cristina Saloj Barreno and she is doing well. My father’s name is Pedro Tzoy Barrera and he abandoned my mother and me about one year ago. We have heard that he has another family and has problems with alcohol despite being a diabetic man. Please pray for his conversion. My mother and I live in a three-room house with a separate kitchen, which is made of concrete blocks and the floor is ceramic.

The house belongs to my oldest sister. She is already married and has a child. We are allowed to live in one of the rooms and contribute to cover the electricity. We get water from a well that is on their property. We have chickens, ducks, sheep, and turkeys at home. We also have a dog as a pet. My mother and I attend an Evangelical Church called Open Heaven and pray that God helps us to move forward. Some of our needs are groceries, corn, and clothes. I am glad to be part of the feeding program because it helps me so much with food. It takes me fifteen or twenty minutes to get to the feeding program from where I live. I usually walk to get there, but I sometimes get there on a bus alongside my mother. It is time to say goodbye, but I want to give you many thanks for reading my information. I hope you found it engaging.

Sincerely yours,

Cristina Eliza Noemi Tzoy Saloj

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary / Guatemala