The Trash Where People Live Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
By Kristen Neuenschwander
When I was a little kid my dad used
to take me with him to the garbage dump. From building houses he
would always have lots of stuff in his truck that he would have to
get rid of. I remember lots of dust flying around in the air and
feeling dirty every time I got home. I remember it smelled, even
from the front seat with the windows closed, it smelled. And then
dad would buy me a Slurpy from a 7-11 and we’d go home never
realizing that all over the world people spend their lives living
in garbage dumps.
I’m currently back in Ethiopia and a
few days ago I went to a place in Addis
that they call the trash city…the sky
went from being blue to dark grey as I walked further into the
dump. Immediately I was overwhelmed with one of the worst smells
I’ve ever experienced, it was nothing like I remembered from the
dump in California. The thick smoke was everywhere from some of the
trash being burned and the combinations of smells made me want to
gag. Every step was carefully maneuvered in order not to step into
leftover food, used toilet paper, wads of hair, goat feet, animal
bones, IV bags and lots of other things I never want to step in.
Vultures and other types of birds swarm around hunting for things
salvageable to eat in the trash. Photo:
Kristen shooting people in the regions
There are stray dogs and pigs running
around everywhere. In the midst of it all you find two stone walls
holding up some kind of steel roof. And here, among all the trash,
is a community of people living. They weed through the garbage
looking for items they can recycle and food for their empty
stomachs. Their ages range from eight to twenty three and most have
been abandoned or orphaned, leaving the dump as the only place for
them to go. There are around fifteen guys and twenty girls. Some of
the girls have families and don’t actually live in the trash but
spend all day there, looking for recyclables in order to bring home
some kind of food and possibly pocket change.
The oldest guy is a natural leader
and really tries to take care of the others. The youngest is an
eight year-old who has only known the trash as his home, moving
around his cardboard home as the trash piles move. They all wear
smiles on their faces despite their circumstances. They don’t
struggle with finding joy but the lack of hope is
heart-breaking...aren’t children supposed to have the most hope? It
shook me to the core; there is so much poverty in this world and
I’ve seen a lot of it. But there is something about total poverty,
living in trash with no family and no hope, that hit me harder then
normal.
Of course there’s a part where you
come in. So the plan right now is to find a house that we can rent
and after about six months, they can take the rent over. To find
them jobs or to begin a chicken farm which they would all be able
to have a hand in and bring in enough money for rent and school.
Other ideas are still in the process but this is what we’ve come up
with so far. We’re hoping to get them to a point where they are
fully sufficient on their own but for now we need finances to give
them that start. We want to create an environment that helps them
grow, with clean clothes, school uniforms and food that someone
else didn’t eat first. And we want to see them dreaming again of
what they could do with their future. As with every project, we
need prayer. Pray that these guys develop hope for their lives,
that we find the perfect house, that churches in the area will help
support them and people who care about them. And anything else you
can think of to pray for children without a home. Just like
Drawn From Water, Pick a Pocket is supporting this
project.
The Music DTS, who is on
outreach right now in Addis, is the reason I went to the dump while
visiting Ethiopia this time. Ulla and I came down to talk with the
people directly involved with Drawn From Water (children’s
home). We’ve been staying with the Music DTS in the meantime
and have gained a .heart for the people they are working with.
The Music DTS is in the process of moving these guys out of the
trash. They are finding them a home, and are seeking avenues in
which they can begin the process of sustainability and financial
independence.
The Music DTS spent a night
with them in the trash eating what they ate and sleeping where they
slept and because of that they trust us. Before that they were
pretty sure we were just another group who wanted to take photos of
them and then walk away but they have seen otherwise and are ready
to have a different life. We want to see these kids bathed,
clothed, safe, warm, fed, and educated. Please help us do that in
any way you can. Tell others about it, join us on Facebook, pray,
donate, or share knowledge with us you may have about garbage
dumps.
"Funny the way it is, if you think
about it, somebody’s going hungry and someone else is eating
out...Funny the way it is, if you think about it, one kid walks ten
miles to school while another’s dropping out…" -Dave Matthew
You can learn how to donate or what
to pray for by emailing myself or Josiah. Pick a Pocket’s Website:
http://pickapocket.showitsite.com Leader of the music DTS's
email: Josiah
Teft-jjteft@yahoo.com or
kris.schwan@gmail.com More info at
www.kristenneuenschwander.com
Editor's Note: A 28
minute clip of "Drawn From Water" is being produced and almost
completed. It will be shown at the Telluride, Co film festival,
humanitarian division, this spring as well as being shown at some
large churches for the next few months. Kristen is from Sacramento,
California but is currently living in Herrnhut, Germany. She is
part of an organization called Pick A Pocket that is raising
awareness about poverty and injustice through photography, writing,
art and music. She currently teaches photography at a YWAM campus,
travels to impoverished nations to help where needed, gathering
research and taking photos. Photo: Two girls in the Market from
Ethiopia
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