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 wonderful day to greet you and I trust our Lord is taking care of you! This is Sneyder Sloan Salazar Perez, and I am an 8-year-old boy. My birthdate is October 21, 2017. Thank God, my family and I are doing well. I have one brother and two sisters. Marvin David Salazar Franco is my father. He is a street vendor. Wendy Carolina Perez is my mother. She works as a security guard. Unfortunately, my parents have been separated since I was 4 years old, and my father only helps us with Q200.00, $27.00 every month. I went to live with my father for a time, but my mother looked for legal support to get custody. Fortunately, the lawyer considered that it was better, so I stayed with my mom. She loves me and provides for me.

Now, I will share a few things about me. I am in second grade this year. I enjoy playing football, spinning tops and riding on my bicycle. I have three favorite colors, green, blue and red. I love cats. I love eating pizza and soup. We are members of the Power of the word Christian Church. We are living in a rented house and the monthly payment is Q900.00, $120.00. My grandmother and her partner, and my uncles also live there. There are two rooms made of blocks with a tin sheet roof and a cement floor. My mom goes to cook in my grandma´s kitchen. We have running water and electricity services. My mother and her brother pay for those services. At the moment, our greatest needs are groceries, school support and shoes. I thank God for the opportunity to be enrolled in the feeding program and I arrive there by walking in 10 minutes. I was so excited to share my information and find out that someone would be able to read about me. Many and abundant blessings!

Lots of love,

Sneyder Sloan Salazar Perez

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