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.

Hello! I hope you are well along with your loved ones. It is Santiago David Choc Arrazola. I was born on January 5, 2017. I am 8 years old. I am a 2^nd grade student. In my free time, I like to play board games like one called UNO. I like the color red. My favorite animal is the cat. A delicious dish for me is fried chicken.  I live only with my mother and two siblings. She is Nancy Roxana Arrazola Aquino. She does her best to support us by cleaning houses for others. I want to ask for your prayers because my mother suffers from diabetes. My father is Valeriano Choc Xo, unfortunately, he has another family, he only sends us a little money for our expenses once in a while. He works driving. We attend a Christian Church called Ebenezer.

We live in our own house made of block, tin sheet roof, concrete floor. We have electricity but are without running water; a neighbor shares it with us and my mother pays for it. There is one room. We do not have a separate kitchen, so we cook in the same room. I have one dog at home. I walk about 30 minutes from home to the feeding program. Thank you for taking the time to read my letter and I hope you like it.

With much love,

Santiago David Choc Arrazola

Translated by: Lucia Gravez/AAC Secretary