My name is Johny Joana Manuel Pineda and I am 18 years old. I am the youngest of 5 siblings. Both of my parents died when I was a year old. My oldest sister, who was 11 at the time, and I went to live with my grandmother. My other 3 siblings, 2 sisters and 1 brother, went to live in an orphanage. I did not get to see them again until I was 8 years old. My older sister raised me until I was 8 years old (since my grandmother was old and unable to care for us). When I was 8 years old my sister moved to another city to continue with her studies. I went to stay with my aunt, and I lived with her until I was 12 years old. When I was 12 years old I had to move to La Ceiba, because there were no opportunities to study in the small village up in the mountains where I was living. In La Ceiba my brother and I lived with a missionary family for two years and studied at a bilingual school. After those two years, my siblings became responsible for me. They helped me as much as they could despite much financial difficulty. The economic situation of my brother and sisters grew worse, and it was difficult for them to help me with my education. They continued to support me up through the eleventh grade. It was very difficult and I did not know how I would be able to continue with my studies. I had made a decision not to continue studying due to the financial situation of my family. Then I was presented with a marvelous opportunity to be able to continue my studies with the ministry of Casa Esperanza. My brother and sisters knew that this was a great opportunity for me, and I decided to study under the ministry of Casa Esperanza. I asked the Lord to help me, and here I am in the program of Casa Esperanza. Thanks to this program I was able to graduate from high school, and now I am enrolled in the local university. The truth is I do not know what would have happened to me if it was not for the program of Casa Esperanza. It has been a great opportunity for me.