Covenant House Newsroom

My name is Sonia*. I came to La Alianza (as Covenant House is called in Guatemala) in March 2020, just days before the COVID-19 pandemic struck my country. I was sent here by court order because I was being threatened by a gang. My older sister was already a member, but I didn’t want to join. For my protection, I was sent to three other places before coming here. 

I’m 16 years old. I lived with my family, including my mother, step-father, and two siblings. But because of the gang threats against me and my sister, we were each sent to different homes. I have no contact with my sister because I’m afraid she’ll force me or convince me to join the gang. 

I had a very difficult childhood, one I’d like to forget. When I was 6 years old, my father raped me. When I was 14, I got into a relationship with a 20-year-old who was a gang member. I went to live with him and his mother. She became angry because neither of us brought money into the household. And then I got pregnant. 

That’s when the threats began, and I was sent to La Alianza. I was at risk, pregnant, and with a boy who was much older than me. I knew that, because of my age, he committed a crime when he had sex with me.

My daughter was born at La Alianza and is now 11 months old. I haven’t been home at all. I’m afraid to see my sister. I’m afraid the gang members will see me and want to harm my daughter and me. I haven’t even spoken with my family by phone. 

But I feel safe here. I have everything I need, and my daughter has everything she needs. I really like that household tasks are divided up among the young people here. One day I do the cleaning; another day someone else does it. Or I wash the dishes, and then, on another day, they do it. It’s a great opportunity both to serve and be served. 

I’m really happy with my daughter. Now that I’m a mother, I want to teach her better things than what I learned. Sometimes I get frustrated because I have to take care of her, but the educators here at La Alianza help me out. And my daughter goes to daycare while I study. I exercise my right to an education here, which I wasn’t doing before I arrived, and I’ve already passed the seventh grade.

Everybody here also has the right to be healthy. At La Alianza we get medical and mental health care. They also give us food, shelter, and clothing. 

My daughter and I have everything we need, and we lack nothing. It’s a real opportunity for me, and an opportunity for me to give my daughter the best future. And for that I’m grateful to La Alianza. 

*Sonia is not the youth’s real name. Her name has been withheld for her protection.