Hello! My name is Delmy Maricela Amaya Calderón. I was born in the village of Julupe in the district of Chiltiupán, Department La Libertad, on September 19, 1989. My parents are José Ángel Amaya Castillo and Rosa Delmira Amaya Calderón. My farther works in the fields and my mother takes care of the house. She is an excellent mother.When I was little I didn’t have a lot of luxuries or even comforts, but I had the most important thing, which is the love of my parents and my five brothers. I studied primary school in a Little school in my village. In 2005, though, for economic reasons, I moved to the COAR orphanage, a beautiful place, where I learned many things such as the importance of loving others, caring for other things, the value of the resources of our country, and what respect means. I learned about the martyrs and to follow their example of fighting for freedom, something that happened even before I was born.
I didn’t stay at COAR for more than a year though because my mother became very sick with a hernia and she had to have an operation, and since I am her only daughter, I didn’t want to leave her alone, and so for that I returned to my home. The next year I started studying high school again, and with a lot of effort, I was able to finish high school at a school in my village.
When I finished my high school studies, I really wanted to continue my studies. My older brother had promised he would help me economically, but he just couldn’t as the economic situation is so difficult here. Without losing hope, I thought about studying and working, but it was impossible to find a job that would also allow me time to study as the university is hours away from where my family lives. So, I did the only thing I could do, which was find a job to try to support my family. It’s really hard to find a job when one hasn’t gone to university, and so the only job I found took all of my time.
Nonetheless, it has always been and is still a dream of mine to become someone professional. Thanks to Nuestro Ahora, I’m now studying Language and Literature at university. I want to share everything I learn with others. I hope to keep going by, taking life step by step, and asking God that He helps me accomplish His plans for me.
Maricela spends a few hours twice a week working with the children of a nearby orphanage for boys, helping then with homework, being present to them, sharing her time. In these photographs, on March 31st 2009, she joins them around their gameboard, then later reads to them on one of their days off from school when, for a change, they had no homework.
