Matthew J. Piette, P.E.

My niece Madeline is working for an NGO in Guatemala,  Here is a note from her.  I will post more as she writes them.

Hola a todos,

So I realize I haven't done a very good of a job continually updating
everyone on exactly what it is I am doing here in Guatemala.  So I
wanted to start at the beginning, and explain just what type of
project I am working for, what population we serve, and how those
interested can get involved in supporting us.  But that is all a lot
of information to pour into one e-mail, so I am going to break it up.
Over the next couple weeks I will be sending out e-mails describing
different departments of Safe Passage and different ways to support.

So in this first one, I'd like to introduce you to Guatemala City's
Municipal Garbage Dump.

The dump is located in a natural ravine in the center of the Guatemala
City.  The ravine spans about 40 acres of land.  All the garbage from
the 3.5 million residents of Guatemala City and four surrounding towns
is dumped here.  Nine hundred and twenty yellow trucks can dump up to
three times a day, depositing (in our best estimate, but nothing
official) 1000 tons of garbage in the dump daily.  There are no
environmental regulations here in Guatemala, so not only residential
and business waste goes into the dump but also hospital waste, dead
animals from the zoo, toxic waste, dead bodies have also been dumped
here but much less now than during the civil war.
So why am I telling you about the dump? Because this is the population we serve.
"Guajeros" is the name given to the people that rummage through the
trash looking for recyclable materials that they can sell for a
profit.  They collect aluminum, glass, plastic, cardboard, burn
mattresses for the metal springs, salvage clothes and furniture they
can resell, etc.  They work in absolutely atrocious conditions.  They
are continually exposed to not only the germs found in rotting trash
but also worms, rats, and vultures.  The biggest health complaint that
we hear of is respiratory problems because the the workers constantly
breathing in methane gas, sulfur, and dust.  During the rainy season
the rotting trash formes a thick sludge. Guajeros are at danger of
being killed in landslides or sink holes since the ground they are
working on is all landfill, not at all stable.  In 2008, about 50
Guajeros, died in a sink hole, just fell into the garbage, and many of
their bodies were never recovered.
These people are working in the dump because there is no other option
for them.  They are poor and illiterate.  They come from an area of
the city where people assume they are poor, dirty, have lice, smell
bad, (all pretty true by the way) and people are hesitant to work with
them.
So, 10-years ago, a woman named Henly Denning saw this dump, saw the
children, and decided she would try and change their future.  Thus,
Safe Passage was created.

I will talk more about what services we provide for the children of
Safe Passage in my next e-mail.

Thank you and please send this and my upcoming e-mails to all and
everyone you know,
Madeline

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