NE2277

Zona 5, where your child lives, is located in a slum area of Guatemala City.  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, 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. This child lives on top of an old rubbish dump in Zone 5 of Guatemala City.

Hello! My name is Ernesto Benjamin Axpuac Flores. I attend the Zone Five feeding program. I was born on November 7^th, 2006. I am twelve years old and I am in good health. I attend the sixth grade. In my free time, I like to play basketball, balls and with toy cars. My favorite color is fluorescent green and my favorite animal is the puma. I love to eat noodles. I am the only child in my family. I live with my mother and grandmother in our own house made of concrete block with a tin sheet roof, granite floor, running water and electricity. The house has three rooms, a separate kitchen, living room and bathroom. My mother works as a maintenance person in a company called Solusersa. My grandmother contributes a little bit to our family income by working as a merchant. She sells different kinds of items. My father abandoned us in 2008 and he does not have much communication with us. He sends us some money but it is not enough to cover our basic needs. We are so grateful to the feeding program because it gives me the opportunity to receive the different benefits that it offers. We attend a church called Adulam and I like to participate in the dance group.

With much love and many blessings,

Ernesto Benjamin Axpuac Flores

Translated by: Lidia Vásquez /AAC Guatemala