My Story

NE2670

Nueva Esperanza, which means New Hope, is located in a slum area of Guatemala City, Guatemala.  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, where Nueva Esperanza is located, 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.  It is an extremely dangerous area where criminals, prostitutes and drug addicts live. Hello! I am so happy to tell you about my life through this letter. My name is Iram Ezequiel, and I was born on April 4th, 2017. I am four years old and because of my age and our low resources, I am not enrolled at school yet. My favorite hobbies are playing with my toy cars and dinosaurs. I like animals, but my favorites are dinosaurs. My favorite color is blue, and my favorite meal is fried chicken. I live along with my parents and siblings in a place called “El Esfuerzo”, located in Zone 5.

My mother’s name is Carmen Guzman; she washes and irons for other people to contribute with the incomes. She also works as a domestic employee to get extra money. My father’s name is Iram Fuentes; he earns a living by selling dairy products in the markets to cover our needs. We own a very small house. It has a bedroom, and the kitchen which is at the entrance of the house. Its walls are made out of block, but only the front wall is ours because the back wall and the side walls are our neighbors. The roof is made out of metal sheet, and the floor is concrete. When we wash our clothes, we have to dry them outside due to the space.  We have electricity, but there is no running water. So, my parents have to buy it, and then they save it in barrels. Fortunately, my siblings and I do not have to walk far to get to the feeding program because we live 10 minutes from there. At the moment, my family and I do not attend church. However, we trust in God, and we are grateful to Him because we are all in good health. Finally, let me tell you that my father assisted a member of the Evangelism team to get information about me, since the staff want to protect us from the virus. I leave you for now, but if you want to know something else about me, feel free to ask me.

In Jesus name,

Iram Ezequiel Fuentes Guzman

Translated by Hillary Popol / AAC Secretary