Day Seven -- The Dump

Going to the dump was one of the most impacting things I've been through in my life. No number of words could describe the absolute desolation that was everyday life to these people. According to our guides, the people that lived in the dump were the poorest in all of Ecuador. The trash that finally arrived at the dump had already been picked through three times. Only the raw, disgusting trash made it to the dump where over three hundred people lived.

When our bus drove into the dump, I was instantly overcome by the awful smell. I thought since I was an missionary kid the dump would be no big deal. I was wrong! I almost threw-up.

"God," I cried out, "how can these people live here?"

As soon as we got off the bus, we were surrounded by a crowd of destitute people. We had brought toys with us to give to the children. We even gave our lunch to the people. But, I kept wondering what these few things could do in a place like this. The toys would break. The food would run out.

I cannot think of a better way to describe the people than this: they were so desperate they could not be nice. As we began handing toys out, the crowd became a mob of hands grabbing at us. We had to yell to get the people to listen to us. We had to hold them back. We had to be "harsh." When we handed out food, we had to mark peoples' hands so we could make sure we did not give food to the same person twice. And, when they begged for more food, we had to send them away.

When all we had was gone, we went visiting different "homes." We passed a young lady with a two-year-old son. She and her son had a small grocery bag with them. Later I found out that was all they owned. But, of all the things I saw, one image burns in my memory. As we were leaving, I heard a screaming noise. It sounded like a baby crying. The crying continued to get louder as I passed by a box. The box had a huge hole in it. I peered through the hole and glimpsed a small baby. Surely the mother of this child was around. There was no one. Tears filled my eyes as I was herded toward the bus.

As our bus began weaving its way through the dump, it started to rain. I heard someone ask where the people went for shelter when it was raining. Our guide's reply, "They have nowhere else to go."