Thursday, August 30, 2007

Camino Segure/Safe Passage











I wanted to send out the website to one of the service visits we did in Guatamala. The non-profit is called Camino Seguro ("Safe Passage"), http://www.safepassage.org/welcome-to-safe-passage, and if any of you are in a position to volunteer or help financially, this is definitely a worthy cause and an honest non-profit that is making a difference. I am thinking of going back to volunteer here on either a short term or long term basis. The recently oscar-nominated film documentary "Recycled Life" is a movie about the Guatamala dump and those that make their living there if you want to check that out. The non-profit Camino Seguro works to provide shelter, food, & also education to the children of the dump-workers to try to stop the cycle of limited options. The pictures I've posted are of the Guatemala dump and the workers that make their living their sorting through the trash and sustaining themselves through what is thrown away by others. The dump is partially walled off, set to the side of Guatemala City, and located in a ravine which is rapidly filling. We took these pictures from the Guatemala City Cemetary, which is at the top of the ravine overlooking the dump. It was drizzly, we all were shocked into silence, surrounded by tombs, mausoleums, and vultures, looking out into the dump itself, with the taste and smell of it overwhelming all. The area around the dump is apparently extremely dangerous, with people driven to desparate measures. Our guide, who grew up in this area, was one of the people who "made it out". His repeated line was "this is the real world". We had two armed guards with us in addition to our 3 guides for the entire trip (from the dump, to the 2 Camino Seguro school sites we visited). I appreciate this non-profit for letting us, however briefly, into their world of making a difference.
I would be happy to talk about this further with any of you if you'd like more information.

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