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. Life in Zone 5 is very difficult. Some children live on top of an old rubbish dump in Zone 5 of Guatemala City. It is an extremely dangerous area where criminals, prostitutes and drug addicts live.

I want to tell you that I am so happy to be able to greet you today and tell you a little bit about myself. I am Darlin Dayana Alvarez Yoque. My birth date is on February 18, 2020. I am 6 years old and I am a healthy girl. I attend kindergarten this year. I like to play with my dolls, jump rope, coloring and pretend to cook. My favorite colors are pink and purple. The animals I like the most are the cow and the horse. I love to eat pizza, eggs, beans, noodles, and sauce. I have five brothers and three sisters.

Yasmin Janeth Alvarez Yoque is my mother. She is a single parent and does her best to provide for our needs. She sells jellies, water, “rellenitos” (smashed plantains filled with sweet blended beans and fried), and other homemade food. Even though she does not earn very much, she tries to buy clothes for each one of us in turns. Additionally, she has to provide for school. My older sisters go to sell alongside my mother to earn more money. My family and I attend the Restoration Christian Church. Thank God, my family is in good health. We live in my grandmother´s house, and she lives there also. There are four adobe rooms with a tin sheet roof and a cement floor. We use two rooms. We have water and electricity; my mother saves money during the month to pay the bills at the end of every month. Our pets are a cat and two dogs. We are a humble family; our greatest needs are groceries, school supplies, clothes and footwear. I feel so blessed to be enrolled in the feeding program, and I walk 30 minutes to get there. Thank you so much for your beautiful heart for the people in Guatemala like me. I pray our Lord blesses you!

A bunch of hugs,

Darlin Dayana Alvarez Yoque

Translated by: Violeta Hernandez, A-A-C Secretary-Antigua