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.

Hello! I am so happy for having the opportunity to share a little about my life with you through this letter. My full name is Axel Andriel Alvarez Yoque and I was born on December 18, 2021. Luckly, I am a healthy 4-year-old boy. I am in pre-kinder and my favorite animals are dogs and cats. Some of my interests are playing with toy cars, balls, yo-yos, and painting. My favorite colors are red and blue. What I love eating the most are pizza, noodles, beans, and eggs. I live with my mother and siblings. I have four brothers and four sisters. Fortunately, everybody is doing well. My mother is a single parent and strives to support our big family, but it has been difficult because everything is expensive. Most of our needs are shoes, groceries, and a new bed. My mother’s name is Yasmin Yaneth Alvarez Yoque. She makes a living by selling water bottles, jellies, and homemade snacks like “rellenitos” (this is a typical dessert made of plantain filled with sweet black beans and at the end, this looks like a small fried dumpling). My older sisters usually help her to sell the products. I have no information about my father, which is sad. My family and I live with my grandmother at her house. It is made of adobe with tin sheet roof and concrete floor. It has four rooms, a separate kitchen, electricity, and running water. My family and I are allowed to use only two rooms of the house and my mother covers the payment of the services. We have one cat and one dog at home as pets. I am so happy because I can attend the feeding program alongside my siblings. We usually walk for one hour and a half from where we live to get there. I will leave you now, but I hope you enjoyed reading my information.

Best wishes,

Axel Andriel Alvarez Yoque

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary/ Guatemala