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.

I greet you with much love. My name is Alessia Isabella Barillas Jimenez, and I am 6 years old; I was born on November 5, 2019. I am studying, and I am in kindergarten this year. I have two sisters, and one of them is registered at the feeding program too. We walk for about 15 minutes to arrive at the feeding program. In my free time, I play dolls, toy dishes, soccer and basketball; I also color pictures. I love the colors pink and red, and my favorite animal is the cat. I enjoy eating noodles, fried chicken and ground meat.

My father’s name is Nelvin Daniel Barillas Valenzuela, and he works as a mechanic in a company to cover our needs. My mother’s name is Gladys Mariela Jimenez de la Cruz, and she dedicates her time to doing the household chores and taking care of my sisters and me. She helped me with this

information for you. At the moment, we are not attending a church. We live in a rented house, and my father pays Q950.00 quetzals (about $125.00) per month. We only have one room, so we sleep and cook in the same space; it is made of concrete block with a tin sheet roof and concrete floor. We have running water and electricity, and these bills are included in the rent payment. We are a needy family, and our frequent needs are groceries and shoes. Well, this is all for now.

With much love,

Alessia Isabella Barillas Jimenez

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio, AAC Secretary-Antigua