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.

It is a beautiful day to greet you and share my information through this! My name is Liliana Del Rosario Reyes Orozco. My birthday is May 4, 2016, and I am now 9 years old. I live with my mom, stepfather and two sisters. Thank God, we are doing well. My father´s name is Jose Luis Reyes Pirir. Unfortunately, he abandoned us and has another family. My sisters and I ask for his help, but he does not want to support us. My mother´s name is Victoria Del Rosario Orozco Garcia. She works as a janitor to supply our needs. Nevertheless, since my stepfather is unable to work, our incomes have been affected. My stepfather is Carlos Rene Hernandez, and he has been living with us for 7 years. Unfortunately, he had a motorcycle accident in October of last year and he cannot move his right arm. He used to work as a messenger and helped us a little bit with the home expenses. Our pets are a dog and a cat.

Now, I will share a few things about myself. I am a fourth-grade student this year. My favorite pastime is jumping rope, playing dominoes and coloring. I have two favorite colors, blue and sky blue. I love cats. The meal I love the most is pasta with tomato sauce. We do not attend any church for now. Thankfully, we live in our own property; there are two rooms and a kitchen. It is a block house with a tin sheet roof and a cement floor. There are running water and electricity services. My mom and stepfather are in charge of paying for them. We are a humble family and our greatest needs are groceries, footwear and school support. For me, it is a great blessing to be enrolled at the feeding program; I walk about 10 minutes to arrive. Thank you so much for your beautiful heart for the people in Guatemala like me. May our Lord bless you!

Special regards,

Liliana Del Rosario Reyes Orozco

Translated by: Violeta Hernandez / A-A-C Secretary-Antigua Guatemala