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.

Good morning! It is my pleasure to greet you in this opportunity and share a little about me. My name is Alexia Ariana Yamileth Monterroso Panjoj, and I will turn 8 years old this year. My birthday is May 30, 2018. I am very happy to say that my family and I are in good health. I have one brother and one sister. My father is Lester Aroldo Monterroso Pacay. He works as a carpenter in a company. My mother is Maria Eugenia Panjoj Soyos. She watches over my siblings, my grandfather who is an elderly man and me. She tries to get some money by selling candies. It is a great blessing to see my parents support each other to take our family ahead.

I am a second-grade student this year. The activities I like to do in my spare time are jump rope, color and watch TV. I like to help my mom clean the house. I love cats; in fact, our pet is a cat. My favorite color is purple. About meals, well, I like eating rice and chicken. We live in my grandfather’s house, but it is only borrowed. We live near a park and a field named “Maracana”. There are three rooms made of blocks and tin sheets with a tin sheet roof and a cement floor. There is a kitchen. There are running water and electricity services. My parents save some money to pay for the bills every month. Our greatest needs are clothes and shoes for school. My family and I are members of the King of the Centuries Church. It is a great blessing for me to be enrolled in the feeding program; I walk 10 minutes to arrive. I want to thank you so much for reading about me today. Every kind of blessing over you!

With all my love,

Alexia Ariana Yamileth Monterroso Panjoj

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