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 Pablo Abraham Ortiz Tunchez, and I want to share with you a little about my life. I was born on December 8, 2019, so I am 5 years old. I am in good health, and I am in pre-kindergarten this year; in my free time, I play soccer, toy cars and memory game. I like dogs, and my favorite color is blue. I love eating pork chops. I only have one brother, and he is registered at the feeding program too. We walk for 15 minutes to arrive at the program. As a family, we are attending Mount Hebron Church.

My mother’s name is Lesly Rossana Ortiz Tunchez, and she works as a cashier. She has different schedules both at night and during the day. It has not been an easy job, but she has been doing her best since she is the only one who covers my needs. My maternal grandmother, Hercilia, takes care of me while my mother is not at home; she also takes me to school. Our needs are groceries, shoes and school supplies. I do not know anything about my father, and my mom does not like to talk about him. We live in our own house, and we share it with my grandparents. The house has five rooms and a kitchen, but we only use two of the rooms. The house is made of concrete block with a concrete roof and floor, and we have running water and electricity services. My grandma helped me with this letter, and I hope you find it interesting.

Many blessings and hugs

Pablo Abraham Ortiz Tunchez

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio, AAC Secretary-Antigua