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, tin sheets 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. 

Hello! I am Joy Daniela Johana de Leon Lorenzana, and I want to share with you a little about my life. I was born on August 18, 2017, so I am 9 years old. I am in good health, but I am lactose intolerant. I am in 1^st grade this year, and in my free time, I jump rope and color my drawings. I like rabbits, and my favorite color is purple. I love eating rice, chicken and lettuce salad. I have three brothers and one sister, and three of them are registered at the feeding program too. We walk for 10 minutes to arrive at the program. At the moment, my family and I are not attending a church.

My father’s name is Jose Manuel de Leon Velasquez, and he works as a shoe maker. My mother’s name is Lilian Alejandra Lorenzana Juarez, and she helps my dad with his work. We have passed through hard economic situations because we are a big family and there are times that my father does not have much work. Our needs are groceries and school supplies. We live in a rented house, and we pay Q 875.00. quetzales ($ 114.00) per month. The house has two rooms and a kitchen, and it is made of concrete block with a tin sheet roof and concrete floor. We have running water and electricity services. We have two dogs as pets. My mom helped me with this letter, and I hope you like it.

Many blessings

Joy Daniela Johana de Leon Lorenzana

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio, AAC Secretary-Antigua