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! My name is Eithan Eliezer Tzun Sip, and I am writing this letter to tell you a little about me. I was born on June 6, 2019, so I am 6 years old. I am in good health, and I am attending kindergarten this year. In my free time, I color my drawings and play toy cars and soldiers. I like elephants, and my favorite color is blue. I love eating soup, chicken, egg and black beans. I have three brothers and one sister, and three of them are also registered at the feeding program. We walk for 15 minutes to arrive at the program. As a family, we are attending Paths of Holiness Church.

My mother’s name is Sindi Yojana Tzun Sip, and I do not know anything about my biological father. My siblings and I live with our maternal grandmother, Lidia Sip, because my mother is not a responsible parent. I do not know what she does for a living, and she only comes to visit us every two months or so. She only brings Q500.00 quetzales ($62.00) for our expenses, and my grandma has to extend this little money until she comes again. It is difficult for my grandma to do it, and she has to ask for credit in grocery stores to feed us; she pays it when my mom brings the money so we are always passing through hard economic situations. My grandma cannot work because she suffers from pain in her hands; she used to make and sell tortillas at home.

We live in our own house, and it has two rooms; one of them is used as a kitchen. It is made of concrete block with a tin sheet roof and concrete floor. We have running water and electricity services; one of my maternal aunts helps to pay the electricity service. We share the house with one of my uncles. We are a very needy family, and we are frequently in need of groceries, clothes and shoes. My grandma helped me with this letter. This is all for now.  

Many blessings

Eithan Eliezer Tzun Sip

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio, AAC Secretary-Antigua