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.

It is my pleasure to greet you and I trust our Lord is blessing you! My full name is Jeffrey Andre Oliva Diaz, and I am an 11-year-old boy. I was born on February 11, 2015. It is a great joy in my heart to say that my family and I are in good health. I have one brother and one sister. Selvin Daniel Oliva Rafael is my father, and he works as a delivery man. Heidy Lissette Diaz Marroquin de De Oliva is my mother. She works as a production assistant. I love to see that my parents support each other in order to take us ahead.

Now, I will share a few things about myself. I am a fifth-grader this year. I love spending time with my friends and we usually enjoy playing football. The food I like the most is Mexican tacos. The animal I like the most is the cat, and in fact, I have two as pets. I love the color red. I also like to go to play in the park that is near my house. My family and I are attending the Catholic Church. We rent the house in which we live and the monthly payment is Q1200.00, $160.00. There are two rooms and a kitchen. It is a block house with a tin sheet roof and a cement floor. We have running water and electricity services; my parents pay the bills every month. For now, our greatest needs are groceries. I am so blessed to be enrolled at the feeding program and I walk 20 minutes to arrive there. My parents pay a lady to accompany me to the feeding program; she is also enrolled at the program. This is all for now, but feel free to ask for more information about me. May God bless you!

A bunch of hugs,

Jeffrey Andre Oliva Diaz

Translated by: Violeta Hernandez / A-A-C Secretary-Antigua Guatemala