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 feel so happy to be able to write this letter for you to tell you about my life. My name is Jennifer Alejandra Liseth Chub de Leon, and I was born on December 22, 2018. I am now 6 years old. I attend kindergarten. I enjoy spending time playing with slime and Play-Doh. My favorite color is red and my favorite food is pizza. Thanks to God, I am in good health and so is my family. My father is Byron Geovany Chub Coy; he struggles to support our family by working as a security guard. My mother is Wendy Sucely de Leon Perez, and she stays at home doing her chores and taking care of us. I do not have siblings. My family attends the Catholic church called “Santo Cura de Arce”.

We live in a rented house made of block, tin sheet roof and ceramic floor; my father pays Q 750.00 quetzals ($ 100.00) monthly but it does not include the home services. The house has two rooms, but we only use one of them and the other one, we use as a kitchen. We have running water and electricity. Our greatest need is a bed. I walk about 15 minutes to get to the feeding program. Thank you for taking the time to read my letter.

With much love,

Jennifer Alejandra Liseth Chub de Leon

Translated by: Lucia Gravez/AAC Secretary