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.

It is my pleasure to greet you and share my information through this! My full name is Sergio Danilo Ich Xi, and I am 6 years old. I was born on September 17, 2019. I thank God for my family´s life and health. I have two brothers and two sisters. My father is Abelino Ich Caal. He works as a security guard and thankfully, he provides for our needs. My mother is Amalia Xi Cucul. She stays at home and does the household work. She does not work outside of our home because my father prefers that she watch over my siblings and me. She accompanies us to the school and the program too. We are a humble but united family. We live near a market and a park where we go for a walk on weekends.

I am a Kindergarten student this year. I like to play football and toy cars and coloring. Campero chicken is the food I love the most. I love the color blue, and the animal I like the most is the cat. We are attending the Family of God Church. We are renting a room and my parents pay Q800.00, $107.00 monthly. There are more people renting rooms in the same house. Our room is made of block with a tin sheet roof and a cement floor. There is running water and electricity, and my father pays every month for these. Our pets are a cat and three hens. For now, our greatest needs are groceries, shoes and school support. I am so blessed to be enrolled in the feeding program; I walk 10 minutes to arrive there and I go with my siblings. Thank you for reading my information and I would like to hear news from you very soon. Many and rich blessings over you!

Sending hugs,

Sergio Danilo Ich Xi

Translated by: Violeta Hernandez / A-A-C Secretary-Antigua Guatemala