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! I am Adrian Gregorio Ruiz Riz and my heart is overjoyed for having the opportunity to share a little bit about my life with you. I was born on June 6, 2022. I am a healthy boy and I like attending the feeding program. My mother accompanies me, and we usually take a bus to get there in five minutes. I do not attend school at the moment because of my young age. My favorite color is white. I love having fried chicken, and my favorite animals are elephants. About my family, I only have one sister, but no brothers. We attend a Christian Church alongside our parents. My father’s name is Francisco Lorenzo Ruiz Chingo. He works as a dealer of water in our town, while my mother keeps busy doing the chores and taking care of our family.

Her name is Irma Yolanda Riz Gomez. I want you to know that some of my maternal aunts and grandmother live with us. We all together live in a rented house, which costs Q800=$104.92 monthly. It is made of concrete blocks with tin sheet roof and concrete floors. It has three rooms, a separate kitchen, and running water. Thanks to one of our neighbors, we have electricity at home. My father and aunts take turns with him to pay for the service. We raise chickens at home for our consumption. It is time to say goodbye, but I kindly ask you to pray for my whole family and our needs. Most of them are groceries and corn. Until next time!

With gratitude,

Adrian Gregorio Ruiz Riz

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary / Guatemala