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 part of the feeding program and be able to write this letter. This is Joseph Isaac Sanchez Rivera, and I was born on November 18, 2019. I am now 5 years old. I am in Pre-kindergarten this year. In my spare time, I enjoy playing soccer, watching TV and painting. My favorite color is blue, and I love dogs. A delicious dish for me is spaghetti with tomato sauce. Thanks to God, I am healthy and so is my family. My father is Jose Emmanuel Sanchez Salazar, and he does his best to support our family by working as a messenger. My mother is Nilda Elisabeth Rivera Hernandez, and she stays at home taking care of us and spends time tending her own grocery store. I have one sister and one brother. All three of us are part of the feeding program.  We do not attend any church.

Thanks to God, we live in our own house made of block, tin sheet roof and concrete floor with running water and electricity. There are four rooms with a separate kitchen. My parents pay for the services. Our greatest need is clothing. I have one dog as a pet. I walk about 10 minutes to come the feeding program. Thank you so much for reading my letter.

Warm hugs,

Joseph Isaac Sanchez Rivera

Translated by: Lucia Gravez/AAC Secretary