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, tin sheets 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. 

Hello! My name is Mildreey Valeska Guzman, and I want to share with you a little about me. I was born on March 17, 2016, so I am 9 years old. I am in good health, and I am attending 3^rd grade this year. In my free time, I jump rope and play dolls and toy dishes. I like cats, and my favorite color is purple. I really love eating egg and black beans. I only have one brother, and he is also registered at the feeding program. We walk for 20 minutes to arrive at the program. At the moment, we are not attending a church.

My mother’s name is Tania Esperanza Guzman, and she does the cleaning in a beauty salon. Only God has helped my mother to cover our needs since she is a single mother; she helped me with this letter. We do not have our own house, so we live with my oldest uncle. The house only has one room, and it is made of tin sheets with a concrete floor. We have running water and electricity services. The house is on the edge of a ravine, and the roof is not in good condition; during the rainy season, the water comes into the house. We are a humble family, and our frequent needs are groceries and shoes. I say goodbye to you for now.

With much love

Mildreey Valeska Guzman

Translated by: Loyda de Osorio, AAC Secretary-Antigua