My Story

Jocotenango, where your child lives, is in the state of Sacatepéquez, Guatemala and is a suburb of Antigua. It is an urban environment and is inhabited by both Quiché Indians and Ladinos (those with mixed European ancestry). Most of the children attend school, but financial hardship affects many families and forces most of the children to leave after the sixth grade. Only one out of ten children finish high school. Children in this area face temptations from gangs and drugs.

Hello, my name is Daniel Israel Estuardo Garcia Bala. I was born in Antigua Guatemala on December 16^th of 2017, and I am already 6 years old. This year I attend kindergarten. I love dogs and my favorite color is blue. The meal I love is pizza. I enjoy playing football in my free time. I live happily with my parents; I have one brother and one sister. We are healthy by the grace of God. My father´s name is Gerber Estuardo Garcia Montufar. He makes a living making trips on his motorcycle, usually carrying people. My mother´s name is Estefany Yesenia Bala Otzoy. She does the housework and looks after my siblings and me. We have a dog and a cat.

The house in which we live is rented and my parents pay Q400.00 = $54 monthly. The house belongs to one of my father's cousins. There three rooms, and we use two as a bedroom and the other room as a kitchen. The house is made of concrete blocks, tin sheet roof and a cement floor. There are running water and electricity services; my father pays his cousin for those services. I thank God for the opportunity to be registered in the feeding program; it is a great help for me and my parents. I walk 20 minutes to arrive to the program. We do not attend church for now. However, I want you to include my family in your prayers for having daily provision at home. This is all for now and I hope to hear news from you very soon. May God bless you!

Warm hugs,

Daniel Israel Estuardo Garcia Bala

Translated by: Violeta Hernandez / A-A-C Secretary-Antigua Guatemala