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.

Hello! I feel so happy to be able to write this letter. I hope you like it. This is Vilma Elizabeth Guadalupe Balaña Reyes, and I was born on July 11, 2016. I am 9 years old now. I attend school this year and I am in 2^nd grade. The things that I like the most to do in my free time are playing lottery, memory game and jumping rope.  I love the colors black and white and my favorite animal is the dog. A delicious dish for me is Chow-Mein. Let me tell you about my family: I live only with my mother Amparo Elizabeth Reyes Perez and my brother because my father, Anyelo Emmanuel Balañas Tomas, abandoned our family many years ago, and we do not have information about him. My mother does her best to cover our needs by working as a receptionist. While my mother goes out to work, my brother and I are under the care of my grandmother Elizabeth. We are part of Ebenezer church. Thanks to God, we are in good health.  

We live in my grandmother´s house. It is made of block, tin sheet roof and dirt floor. We have running water and electricity. There are two rooms and a separate kitchen. We share it and our expenses with my grandmother and aunt. Our greatest needs at the moment are groceries and the toilet to be repaired. I live about 10 minutes from the feeding program. I say goodbye and hope to hear from you soon.

Warm regards,

Vilma Elizabeth Guadalupe Balaña Reyes

Translated by: Lucia Gravez/AAC Secretary