# Children of the Trash



## Bluesdude (Jun 30, 2012)

Throughout the world, some of the poorest of the poor, live in the trash dumps of the wealthier. I don't mean near the trash dump, I mean IN the trash dump. This happens in Mexico, Africa, India, the Philippines, and I'm sure in many other countries. These people build their homes with, from, and in the trash. 

The trash families come running whenever they see a new trash truck driving up to dump its load. In the places I've seen the best equipped had the same tool. It's a metal hook they use to sift through the waste. Being able to sift through the trash quickly enables them to find the best stuff before someone else gets it. I've seen kids only four or five years old, barefoot, digging through the trash piles as the trucks are dumping their treasure. 

Just outside the old US Naval Station Subic Bay Philippines was one such community of trash families. Now that the base has been closed for many years, I doubt there is nearly as much activity there. I'm sure there are still folks who wait for the next truckload of trash, hoping to get something good. Probably not as many live there now since the quality and quantity of trash is not what it was. Certainly their are many others are living the lifestyle of the poor and infamous in the trash dumps of the world. Manila has a huge community in an area called Smokey Mountain. 

I had made my way earlier in the year to the Olongapo dump site while out on a photo shoot to document poverty. That's when I first met the trash children. A few days before Christmas one year, I got to thinking of the trash children and how sad their Christmas mornings must have been. An old navy photographer buddy of mine and I decided to each spend twenty bucks on some toys at Bajac-Bajac market and gave the toys to the children of the trash. That was the best Christmas either of us had ever experienced. The next Christmas we asked a few shipmates to chip in so we could buy more toys for the kids. Our last Christmas we were stationed there, we raised enough to buy 600 dolls and trucks, 600 pairs of flip-flops and 300 gallon-size zip lock bags filled with rice, each one with a can of sardines in it. 

Every Christmas as my family and I are opening stacks of nicely wrapped boxes of stuff none of us need, I think of the trash families around the world. 

The below are photos from our first Christmas giving toys to the children living in the dump.


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## DannyRDG (Jul 26, 2011)

Nice to see someone else helping the poor. I have recently returned from visiting family in Angeles City. One evening I was out with my niece and we stopped at McDonalds at the bottom of fields ave. I sat and watched the street children outside begging, knowing that if I gave them money it may be taken from them, I bought some cheeseburger meals and stepped outside and gave one each to the kids. My niece commented when i came back inside to finish my meal, that she thought I was very kind. She also said that people were talking about me when they saw me giving the kids food. Its the kids I feel really sorry for, they have done nothing wrong! Likewise when I was in Iraq in 2003, I wrote to my old high school and asked them if they could get the kids to send me sweets, toothbrushes, soap and anything else they could afford to send me in shoe boxes so I could distribute to the kids whilst I was out patrolling the streets of Basra. I would spend hours before a patrol breaking down the boxes I received into freezer bags, loading them into my vehicle and then giving them to the kids! The look on their faces were amazing. All part of the hearts and minds campaign I suppose. But certainly worth.


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## ILoveAFilipina (Dec 21, 2012)

DannyRDG said:


> Nice to see someone else helping the poor. I have recently returned from visiting family in Angeles City. One evening I was out with my niece and we stopped at McDonalds at the bottom of fields ave. I sat and watched the street children outside begging, knowing that if I gave them money it may be taken from them, I bought some cheeseburger meals and stepped outside and gave one each to the kids. My niece commented when i came back inside to finish my meal, that she thought I was very kind. She also said that people were talking about me when they saw me giving the kids food. Its the kids I feel really sorry for, they have done nothing wrong! Likewise when I was in Iraq in 2003, I wrote to my old high school and asked them if they could get the kids to send me sweets, toothbrushes, soap and anything else they could afford to send me in shoe boxes so I could distribute to the kids whilst I was out patrolling the streets of Basra. I would spend hours before a patrol breaking down the boxes I received into freezer bags, loading them into my vehicle and then giving them to the kids! The look on their faces were amazing. All part of the hearts and minds campaign I suppose. But certainly worth.


When I was with my girlfriend recently - also in Angeles - a poor beggar kid (probably aged 6 or 7) came up as we were eating in an outside area at a hotel restaurant. My GF asked me to buy the kid a meal instead of giving money. So I did (although I had to get the hotel security guard to allow the kid to sit down first). The kid ordered Spaghetti Bolognese - and fell asleep at the table before it even arrived. Anyway we woke him when the food arrived and he wolfed it down... When finished he thanked us profusely and then went back out to the street where he proceeded to stare at us mournfully from across the road. Afterwards the security guard came up and said that the kid was very lucky because he had had a better meal than he had had that day!


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## craig0316 (Jan 1, 2013)

Very cool Bluesdude,
I've been thinking about making the move to Subic when I retire and would love 2 help out others when I get there, This looks like a great place 2 start!


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## Bluesdude (Jun 30, 2012)

One person can't change the world but we can make some small differences. Thanks for the comments and Happy New Year.


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## Glen48 (Jul 6, 2012)

So much for Gates and Buffett helping out... I saw Buffet on a trip to China he has a private bus and police escort so would not have seen poverty there, just think what they could do by hiring Macca;s Jollibee for a day or 1 day a week to help, only trouble is the word would get out and you would have riot's.
And then some Wall str bankster with 11 yachts he would not use then much each year.


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