My Story

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.

It is a pleasure to tell you a little about my life. My name is Iker Adalberto Cruz Escobar, and I am 8 years old. My birth date is April 19, 2017. I am attending second grade at school this year. In my free time, I enjoy playing soccer, drawing and painting. My favorite color is green and I like the lion. I enjoy it when my mother cooks spaghetti because I like it a lot. I have a rabbit as a pet. My parents think I am allergic since I get sick easily with the change of weather or with some foods, however, we have not received any diagnosis from a doctor due to our low resources. My father, Victor Manuel Cruz, does his best to support our family by working as a carpenter in his own business. My mother, Susana Serapia Escobar Barrios, spends her time taking care of us. She travels one time per month to take care of my grandmother because she is sick. She suffers from epilepsy.  While my mother is away, we stay under the care of my father. I have two siblings. We attend the Catholic church.

We live in a house which belongs to my older sister. The house has two rooms, but we only use one of them. My father uses the other one for his carpentry workshop. We do not have a separate kitchen, so we cook in the same room. We have running water and electricity. It is made of block walls, tin sheet roof, concrete floor, and it has running water and electricity. My father covers the bills for these services. Our greatest need at the moment is a bed for children. It takes me about 10 minutes walking from my house to the feeding program. I say goodbye for now looking forward to hearing from you soon.

With much love!

Iker Adalberto Cruz Escobar

Translated by: Lucia Gravez/AAC Secretary