My Story

NE-2304

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 Ligia Paola Tiul Pangan. I attend the Zone 5 feeding program. I was born on January 01^st, 2010. I am eight years old and I am in good health. I am attending first grade at school. In my free time, I like to play hide-and-seek and tag. My favorite color is pink, and my favorite animal is the turtle. I love to eat cereal. I just have two brothers. My mother Gabriela Blizuela is the one that struggles to support us by making and selling tortillas because my father has abandoned my family five years ago and we do not know anything about him. One of my brothers is one year and a half and his name is Diego Hernandez. He has a different father than ours, but he does not live with us. Nevertheless, he helps provides for my youngest brother. His name is Diego too and he works by tending a drugstore. On the other hand, we share the house with my grandmother Tomasa Pangan that works at the same job as my mother, one aunt named Ligia that works as a maid and my cousins. We live in a rented adobe house with a tin sheet roof and granite floors. We share the kitchen, but we sleep in separate rooms. There is running water and electricity and each family contributes to pay those services. We attend a Church called Community of the Holy Spirit (Comunidad del Espíritu Santo).

With much love and many blessings,

Ligia Paola Tiul Pangan

Translated by: Mireya de Sandoval/ AAC Secretary