Around the World in 80 Dumps: Small Steps Project is possible thanks to the efforts of many people from around the world. Amy Hanson is the founder of this organization and the work she makes is of significant importance for the families that live off rubbish dumps, under unhealthy conditions, extreme poverty, and limited opportunities for a proper education.
La Chureca, Managua
La Chureca is the biggest dump in all Central America. Inside, there is a small community where families set up their homes made of metal sheets, pieces of wood and cardboard. About 2,000 people of all ages live here, and their income depends on the recycling material they sell for a few Cordobas a kilo.
The field is now being closed, with no clear alternative for the families who live here. There are mountains and mountains of dirt and debris covering the garbage underneath. However, the trucks keep coming with garbage everyday with more plastic, metals, and other materials.
Very close to the community there is a lake that was formed by the rain in a hole digged by a company for material in one of their factories at the FTZ. It is surrounded by garbage and half of it is green as a result of toxic quimicals dumped in the water. We were told that children sometimes swim in the lake despite repeated warnings by their parents, and two children drowned a few months ago.
Los Quinchos, a Niracaguan non-for-profit organization, set up a Help Center inside the dump to assist this community. They provide children with food, school supplies and other basic needs assistance with help from various organizations, like Small Steps Project. On the day we arrived, we had a list of children who would receive shoes and other goods, but then more children showed up and it became difficult.
I was not sure what to expect, and when we got there I felt sad to see how they live. We spent most of the time with the children, and it was heartbreaking to see how dirty and sick they were. Some of them were bearfoot and with wounds in their toes and ankles, others were so skinny I could feel each of their ribs. An 17-year-old boy, Jorge, had just sniffed on glue to calm his headache and stomach ache.
At one point the distribution process became overwhelming. As it commonly happens when donations are delivered, the children got off the lines and gathered all around us with their arms and hands extanded, asking for shoes or shampoo. They would shout at us "I have not received anything yet", "My sister is sick at home and could not come. Can I have something for her?".
Even though we spoke in fluent Spanish to them, the idea of not getting something was stronger than the sense of being organized and follow procedures. Little by little we managed to attend each child and make sure they went home with something to wash themselves, shoes, socks, and school materials. There were a few children who could not receive a donation, and for those we will have to wait a little more.
Seeing the smile in their little faces was such a satisfying and rewarding experience. They all showed so much appreciation for the simple things that we sometimes take for granted. Children waited around the Help Center atop a hill overlooking the lake while we called one at a time to put on their socks and shoes. Realizing they had something on their feet to go to school or to simply protect them from broken glass and sharp metals made them so happy..... and we felt happy as well.
La Joya, Granada
La Joya is the municipal garbash dump in Granada. This place is still very active and there are many families working on the field. As soon as we came in, we saw and smelled the strong fumes that are trapped underneath all the waste. The entire place was covered in clouds of white gases mixed with black smoke from burning plastic and rubber nearby. In the background, there was the Mombacho Volcano, an impressive green mountain with a very diversed ecosystem at 3,000 mts (9,000 ft) above see level. No one from La Joya has ever been up there.
Cleaning their feet to put on their socks and shoes was a challenge. Some of them had layers and layers of black dirt, while we had a limited amount of wippers. Guillermo, a 9-year-old boy, lifted his foot as I was trying to clean it, but there were simply not enough wippers to do the job. One at a time, children tried on their new shoes and formed other lines to receive some school supplies. Towards the end, we visited their shacks in the middle of the garbabe. Most of them live nearby in a place called Palenque, and others live rigth on the field.
Jose is a 5-year-old boy that lives with his mother and brother at the dump. We tried to interview him together with his family, but he only said a couple of words, which were difficult to understand. When they left to continue working, Jose looked back and waved at us. He didn't respont to our questions, but understood very well what was going on.
Documentary
Small Steps Project produced two very good videos about their work. The first one is a documentary about the project in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. They worked in conjunction with Pour un Sourire d'Enfant, a French based NFP organization that "works to support underpreviledge children that work and live in the streets and around the Stung Meanchey garbage dump in Phnom Penh". The film features the efforts made to assist the community with the help of Mey, a 26-year-old Cambodian girl who grow up on the dump, went to school, and now helps others who still live as she did. The second video is an intro to the concept of visiting dumps around the world.
To see videos, go to the page under Films, or to be redirected click here
Amy and her team documented our experience in Managua and Granada. The plan is to screen the film this year in diffirent cities, including New York. I will post where and when that will be as soon as I have an update.
Photo album this week
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