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! My name is Lilian Mayerly Argueta Mendoza and I was born September 3, 2021. I am five years old and I am a healthy girl. I play with dolls, toy dishes and memory games. I love to color and pink is my favorite color. I like cats and to eat soups and eggs. I am not studying yet due to my young age. I have only one brother and he is a boy with special needs. My father’s name is Kevin Adolfo Argueta Cau, but he is not present in my life. He works as a baker. He does not support the family and we know nothing about him. My mother`s name is Wendi Marilu Mendoza Garcia and she is the only one that sustains us. She is a single mom and she earns a living as a police woman. My grandmother takes care of us while my mother is working. My grandmother feeds us because my mother buys the medicines for my brother. Sometimes, my uncles support my mother with some money.

We live in our great-grandmother`s house and my 3 uncles live with us. The house consists of 4 rooms, but we only use one. The rooms are made of block and tin sheets with concrete and tin sheet roof and cemented floors. We have running water and electricity. My great-grandmother pays for the services. We have two cats. We walk for twenty minutes to the Feeding Program. We are a needy family, so our current needs are groceries, shoes, clothing and a wardrobe. We are believers and we attend the New Covenant Christian Church. I am happy to be registered in the Feeding program. This was my personal information. I hope you like to read it!

Warm wishes,

Lilian Mayerly Argueta Mendoza

Translated by: Gladys de Cataví/A-A-C Secretary-Antigua