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, tin sheets 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. 

Hello! I am Ismael Isaac Perez Hernandez, and I want to tell you a little about me; my father helped me with this letter. I was born on November 28, 2019, so I am 5 years old. I am in good health, and I do not attend school yet due to my age. I stay at home coloring and playing soccer and toy cars. I like dogs, and my favorite color is red. I really love eating fried chicken. I have one cat and one dog as pets. I have two brothers and one sister, and two of them are also registered at the feeding program. We walk for 20 minutes to arrive at the program. At the moment, we are not attending a church.

My father’s name is Ismael Efrain Perez Roque, and he works as a car spare parts vendor. My mother’s name is Lleimy Yanira Hernandez Urias, and she works as a street sweeper for the local municipality in order to help with the income. Our economic situation is not very good, so we are frequently in need of groceries. We live in my maternal grandparents’ home, and an aunt is living there too. The house has three rooms, and we only use one of them; we do not have a stove, so we cook in my grandmother’s kitchen. Our room is made of concrete block and tin sheets with a tin sheet roof and concrete floor; it is not fully completed so my parents have to buy other tin sheets. We have running water and electricity services. I hope you find my letter interesting.

Sincerely yours

Ismael Isaac Perez Hernandez

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio, AAC Secretary-Antigua