La Chureca (‘the scavenger’), is located in Managua, Nicaragua, and is home to one of the largest inhabited dump communities in the world. It has a population of almost 1700 people who are housed within its walls. Over fifty percent of them are children, some of whom are addicted to glue, work in the trash, and, on rare occasion, solicited by truck drivers. It is a permanent community where people often work for many years as recyclers, exposed to illness and environmental dangers. There is a small school, an ill-equipped clinic, and two youth programs that receive essentially no funding from the Nicaraguan government. The several hundred children of La Chureca have some access to education, to small daily meals, and to a couple of safe places to play to escape the dump. Although La Chureca is a vibrant, growing community, by the end of 2008, the Nicaraguan government plans to build an incinerator at the dump, and employ the people or relocate them.
On the surface, their lives are enclosed within a trash dump. However, in getting to know them, I witnessed a richer, deeper life beyond the trash. They have a childhood; they develop relationships; they experience boredom and loneliness, like anyone else. The children here, despite enduring exceptionally brutal, dehumanizing living conditions, are still able preserve their dignity and passion for life. This is a small and hopefully enlightening glimpse into their lives.