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.

Hello, I send you many greetings hoping that when you receive my letter, you are fine. My name is Melisa Sofia Arias Lux, and I turned 13 years old on January 15. I am in 7^th grade this year. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, painting and helping my mother with chores at home. Thanks to God, I am in good health. My favorite animal is the rabbit and I like the color gray. A delicious dish for me is chicken stew. I live only with my mother and siblings since my father died some years ago due to a heart attack. We continue praying for God to comfort our hearts because it has not been easy to live without him. My mother is Juana Lux Tzep, and she struggles to support our family by selling fruit and second-hand clothes in her own business. This allows her to take care of us as well. In addition, she cleans houses for others in order to earn extra money because it has been difficult for her to supply our needs. When my mother goes out to work, my sisters and I take care of her business. Three of my siblings are part of the feeding program. We attend a Christian church called El Calvario.

We live in a rented house which we share with the owner. There are four rooms but we only use three of them, and we have a shared kitchen. There are running water and electricity. It is made of block walls, tin sheet roof and concrete floor. My mother pays for it and all services Q 1000.00 quetzals ($135.00) per month. Our main needs are a stove and a new bed. It takes me about 5 minutes from my house to the feeding program. I say goodbye for now hoping to hear from you soon. 

Regards hugs,

Melisa Sofia Arias Lux

Translated by: Lucia Gravez/AAC Secretary