NE2553

Zone 5, where your child lives, is located in a slum area of Guatemala City.  An extremely poor area, our program is squeezed in among the shanty dwellings built over an old city dump. Many houses in this area are without toilets or running water and are assembled with scrap wood, sheet metal, and cardboard. Zone 5 is considered one of the most dangerous areas of Guatemala City. It is controlled by gangs and drug pushers.  Robberies and murders are common in this area.  Public education is available - however, many cannot afford it.  Life in Zone 5 is very difficult. This child lives on top of an old rubbish dump in Zone 5 of Guatemala City.

Hello, my name is Dulce Gabriela Martinez Arias.  I was born on March 2, 2008 and I am eleven years old.  I am basically a healthy child.  I walk more than an hour to get to the feeding program.  My family rents a room made of cement block with a granite floor.  We sleep and cook on a stove in the same room.  We have water and electricity.  My mother’s name is Maria.  She cleans houses and washes and irons clothes for other people in order to provide for my sister and me.  I am in 4^th grade.  My favorite animal is the unicorn.  The food that I like best is ravioli.  In my free time, I like to hula hoop, do exercises and ride a bicycle.  My family attends a Christian church.

With much love and many blessings,

Dulce Gabriela Martinez Arias

Translated by: Edwina Lyons/AAC Missionary