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. 

Hello, my name is Joseph Alexander Ortiz Osoy. I was born on November 22, 2020. So now, I am now 4 years old. I did not enroll in school this year due to my young age. I spend time playing toy cars and painting. My favorite color is red and I have turtles at home because they are my favorite animal. I like to eat spaghetti with tomato sauce. I am a healthy child. My family is formed by: my father, Marcos Rene Ortiz Urias and my mother, Maria Elizabeth Osoy Gamez. He supports our family by working as a messenger, while she supports our household economy by working as an assistant for a Company called “Agroambiental”. I have one sister. Her name is Jenifer, and she attends the feeding program too. My family goes to the Christian church called El Calvario. 

I live in a rented house made of block walls, tin sheet roof and concrete floor. There are two rooms and a separate kitchen with running water and electricity. My parents pay for rent including all services Q. 1800 quetzals ($ 240.00) per month.  Our main need at the moment is a bed. Thankfully my parents recently bought a piece of land near where we live; at the moment we have not moved there because we still do not have the resources to build. My parents are thinking of building a wooden room and then building little by little to save on rent. Please help us to pray that God provides my parents the resources to build a house in the future. I live about 20 minutes from the feeding program. I say goodbye and hope to hear from you soon.

Warm hugs,

Joseph Alexander Ortiz Osoy

Translated by: Lucia Gravez/AAC Secretary