My name is José Guadalupe.

Like most 9-year-olds, I love running around with my friends, playing soccer and playing with toy cars. I love my family and spend a lot of time with them, but life isn’t easy.

My dad is not home most of the time and has some bad habits that he is constantly battling. Because of that, I work every day to help our family get by.

My family runs a nursery in Guatemala where we sell flowers and succulents to the local community. I live in a single room home with dirt floors and no electricity.

My morning starts at the break of dawn. I draw water from the well while my three sisters help my mom make a yummy breakfast of fresh eggs, black beans, tortillas and coffee to drink. After eating, we jump on a bus for a half-hour ride through the volcanic countryside to get to our garden, which is nestled right off a bustling road near town. I help water the plants, put soil in new pots, and plant new greenery.

After lunch, my older sister and I take another bus to school. School is one of my favorite parts of the day. My two older sisters had to quit school early so they could be committed to working at our nursery. I hope to stay in school for as long as I can. Sometimes it is hard to keep positive when surrounded by difficult circumstances. But One More Child has given me hope for a better future.

The sponsorship program has changed our lives for the better. One More Child provided my family two comfortable mattresses to sleep on at night. They also provided us a stove to cook with which is safer and healthier than the open fire I was accustomed to.

Since finding out about One More Child, my mom and I are constantly on the lookout for other kids nearby who need help, so we can tell them about the Malnutrition Center and programs that One More Child offers.

Each month we get baskets full of delicious nutritional foods. We no longer have to worry about selling enough flowers to guarantee we have enough money to eat.

Every night I thank God for my sponsor at One More Child.

My name is José and I AM ONE MORE CHILD.

*José shared his story with One More Child staff on a recent trip to Guatemala