My Story

Duenas, where your child lives, is a small farming village located at the foot of one of Guatemala's active volcanoes, Fuego (Fire). The fertile ground around the village allows for the cultivation of roses and coffee, two of Guatemala's largest exports. Most of the families in this area live in one or two room wooden or adobe houses with tin roofs. Electricity is available to those who can afford it. Running water is available - however, most homes do not have indoor plumbing. Public education is available for those who can afford it and consider education of value. Life in Duenas is quiet and sometimes difficult.

Hello! I am excited to greet you through this letter. My name is Hugo Alecxander Esquit Yapan and this is my story. I was born on August 16, 2016. I am in kindergarten and my favorite color is blue. I love playing freeze tag and hide-and-seek. My favorite dishes are fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and refried black beans. I like animals, but my favorites are cats. I live with my biological parents. I only have one brother and his name is Denilson Uriel. My father’s name is Hugo Leonel Esquit Zamora. He works in an avocado farm as a farmer. My mother also works hard to help with her income at home. Her name is Martha Julia Yapa Ordonez. She works as a domestic employee on Mondays and Fridays. She also works on Saturdays, but just until noon. While my parents work, my paternal aunt takes care of my brother and me. Her name is Brenda Liseth Esquit Zamora. As for health, we are all doing well. 

We attend a Christian Church called Sinai. We live in my father’s house. My grandparents had a large piece of land and gave a small part for each one of their children to live with their own families. Our house has two rooms; the first one is our bedroom while the other one is to save our goods. The walls are made of concrete blocks with tin sheet roof and concrete floors. There is no kitchen at home, so we must prepare our meals outside. We have electricity and running water. One of our greatest needs is food. We live near the feeding program. We walk for about ten to 15 minutes to get there. To end this letter, I want you to know that my paternal aunt, Brenda Liseth Esquit Zamora, helped me to give all this information to an AAC secretary. This is all for now about my life, but I hope to hear from you soon. See you later!

In the name of Jesus,

Hugo Alecxander Esquit Yapan

Translated by: Hillary Popol /AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala