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.

I greet you on this beautiful day and I hope you are doing well in all your activities! My full name is Samuel Antonio Tezaguic Orozco, and I am an 8-year-old boy. My birthdate is June 21, 2017. I live happily with my mom, two brothers and one sister. My siblings and I are in good health. However, I would like to ask for your prayers for my mom because she has been suffering from her nerves and low blood pressure. She was fired a few months ago and was so worried about being able to supply our needs. She used to receive medical care at IGSS (Guatemalan Social Security Institute). So now, she hopes to continue receiving this benefit in her new job. Sintia Ivon Orozco Patzan is my mother. She works cleaning offices to provide for our needs. While mom did not have a job, my older siblings were helping to supply the home needs. They usually do it, and it is a great help to my mom. My father is Osmar Isai Tezaguic Garcia. However, he abandoned us about 7 years ago and we know nothing about him.

I am a second-grade student. I love eating noodles with meat. My hobby is to play football, spinning tops and yo-yo. The animal I like the most is the dog, and I love the color blue. We are a Christian family and are attending People of God Church. My mother is the owner of the house in which we live, and my older siblings are living there. There are four rooms and a kitchen. It is a house made of blocks with a tin sheet roof and a cement floor. There are running water and electricity services; my older siblings contribute to pay for them. For now, our greatest needs are shoes for school. Although we have gone through many difficulties, we are grateful to God for His blessings over us. I am so blessed to have the opportunity to be enrolled in the feeding program and I get there by walking in 15 minutes. That is all for now, but feel free to ask for more information about me. Many and abundant blessings over you!

Special hugs,

Samuel Antonio Tezaguic Orozco

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