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. It is an extremely dangerous area where criminals, prostitutes and drug addicts live.  

Hello! It is a pleasure to send you many greetings and hugs with much love hoping you are doing well and receiving the Lord´s blessings. This is Hansel Adrian Ventura Perez, and I was born on August 3, 2017. I am now 7 years old. I am a first-grade student. In my free time, I enjoy playing soccer, toy cars, painting and playing a memory game. I have suffered from asthma since I was born. I like the color red and my favorite animal is the dog. The food that I like the most is fried chicken. I have been wearing glasses since I was 4 years old and I have to have an annual evaluation to check my prescription. About my family: I would like to tell you that my parents separated two years ago. My mother is Grethel Arianka Perez Salazar, and she struggles to support our family by working in a Call-Center. My father is Angel Antonio Ventura Corazon but he does not live with us. I do not maintain communication with him and he does not help me in any way. My family does not attend any church.

I live in a rented house. There are two rooms and we use one of them as a kitchen. The house is made of block, tin sheet roof, concrete floor, running water and electricity. My mother pays Q 1400.00 ($187.00) quetzals monthly for it and services. I would like to ask for your prayers that God will provide what the resources for the eye checkups. It takes me about 15 minutes walking from the feeding program. I say goodbye and hope to hear from you soon.

God bless you,

Hansel Adrian Ventura Perez

Translated by: Lucia Gravez