The garbage dump in Guatemala. This was back from the first week that we arrived in Guatemala. This sight changed the way that I see garbage and the people here in Guatemala.
We first went to the national cemetary and were able to see all the graves there, which are a bit different from the states. These graves were above ground...that was interesting to see.
The graves on the right side of this picture are the graves that the people without a lot of money rent. Once they can't afford to rent them anymore, the body and coffin are taken out and a spot for another person is opened.
This is an example of the graves that the people with more money are able to rent or buy in the national cemetary. As you can see, there is quite a contrast from this grave to the others in a row.
Then we walked for about another 10 or 15 minutes and came to the place where the garbage dump comes close to the cemetary. Now here is an interesting question, which came first, the garbage dump or the cemetary? Either way the implications of this are strange...
There were just mounds of garbage for miles. Not only was there garbage, but there were also bulldozers, trucks, and people in this dump. This is difficult for me to grasp, even though I saw it first hand. Scavenging through the dump to find things is some people's jobs. They look for cardboard, plastic, tin, basically anything that's recyclable. This is how they make their money and no, it's not a lot of money. It's usually, if I remember correctly, about 2 or 3 quetzales a day, which in American money is about 15 cents. I think, my brain isn't functioning right now, so I don't think the conversion is right. Anyway, the point is, that it's not a lot of money and the people usually have to feed their family with that. Granted everything here is a lot cheaper. For example, today I ate lunch in a restaurant for 14 quetzales, which is about $2 in American money. But still, this is not enough to feed their family.
However there is some positive results to this garbage dump. First, children, yes children, used to work in the garbage dump. However, this was eliminated some years ago because there were a lot of children being killed. The people who operate the machines in the dump are paid to move and bury the garbage and not watch out for people. So as a result, a lot of children were being killed by these trucks because they would get in the way. Thus the reason for children not being allowed in the dump to help their parents.
Another positive aspect is that there are organizations that are assisting families by providing money, food, school, and sometimes even jobs for the parents. This is helpful because the families are maintaining a better way of life. I mean, what kind of life is it to say that your job is working in a garbage dump. We went to visit one of these organizations, Potter's House, which helps support the 10,500 people that work in the dump. They have a school for the children and also assist the parents with medical care and jobs. This is a non-profit organization that is slowly, but tremendously influencing and changing the dump for the better.
So even though the story of the dump is negative, there is still positive aspects to it because of the changes that are taking place.
Anyway, that's a little more indepth on what we saw at the dump.
I don't think I'll ever forget this experience and my heart goes out to the people whose job is working in the dump. It's hard because I want to be able to do something for these people, but it's hard because there's nothing that will make a substantial difference. Or at least for now, there's nothing I can do to make a substantial difference, but pray for these people who define their life through trash...
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