San Juan Chmelco — Blog

Victoria Caal

Coban, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala

Victoria Caal lives in San Juan Chmelco, Alta Verapaz. She is 50 years old, and has worked as a street vendor in Coban for the past 42 years, since she was 8 years old. She works 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Victoria starts work at 7am every day and finishes at 6pm. Before work, she goes to the markets to buy produce, making her working day a total of more than 12 hours. Victoria has 12 children, 3 of whom live with her in the single room that she rents on the outskirts of Coban. Her children's names are: Victor Haroldo, Maria Rumalda and Angela Victoria. Angela Victoria goes to school in the mornings, and helps her mother out in the afternoons. She is 7 years old. Victoria Caal is married to an alcoholic, who doesn't live with her or the children, so is solely responsible for raising and supporting her children. At their home, the only access to water is a 20 minute walk away, so every morning, Victoria wakes up at 4am to collect water before her working day begins. Her children help with chores at home, including collecting fire wood, cooking, cleaning and laundry. They often are at home alone. Victoria can not afford to ever take a day off work. If she is sick, she may go to the hospital or doctor before or after work if she can afford to. On a good day, selling produce on the streets Victoria will earn Q25, the equivalent of US$3 a day. When asked what her dreams were, she replied “to one day own a small piece of land so I know that my children will always have somewhere to live... and I would love to have a real shop one day if I could ever afford it.”