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! I feel so happy to be able to write this letter for you to tell you about my life. This is Saory Danysha Barahona Soto. I was born on July 29, 2016. I am now 8 years old. I am a first-grade student. The things that I like the most to do are playing dolls, painting and doing my homework. I love red. My favorite animal is the cat. A delicious dish for me is soup, chicken or French fries. Thanks to God, I am in good health and so is my family. We are four siblings and three of us are part of the feeding program. Sadly, my father passed away four years ago. We continue praying for God to comfort our hearts because it has not been easy to live without him. My mother is Jennifer Eunice Soto Xar, and she struggles to support our family by working as an interviewer. My family does not attend any church.

We live in a rented house made of adobe-block, tin sheet roof and concrete floor. There are six rooms but we only use one of them because other relatives also live there. We do not have a separate kitchen, so we cook in the same room. There are running water and electricity services. My mother and our relatives pay for rent including all services Q. 1300 quetzals ($ 174.00) monthly. Our greatest needs for now are shoes, a bed and groceries. I walk about 10 minutes from my house to the feeding program. Thank you for taking the time to read my letter I hope you like it.

Warms hugs,

Saory Danysha Barahona Soto

Translated by: Lucia Gravez/AAC Secretary