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DUMP-GUATEMALA Aug-5-2004 (1,080 words) With photos. xxxi
Maine woman starts program in Guatemala for children living in dump
By Lawrence Meegan
Catholic News Service
GUATEMALA CITY (CNS) -- At Guatemala City's garbage dump, 10-year-old Gustavo picks through refuse for recyclables like plastic, copper, aluminum and cardboard.
Gustavo says he does not know his last name, but he can tell you he has been at the dump for three years and expects to remain there for a long time.
For many Guatemalans who come to the city without job skills or education, life in the garbage dump becomes a career by default. For many such families, children are moneymakers, extra hands to comb the refuse.
Fernando Gonzales Salazar, 34, and his wife, Wendy, 33, have six children. In an average day the couple can earn about $4.
Because of a program begun in 1999 by a Catholic woman from Yarmouth, Maine, instead of working at the dump, the four oldest Gonzales children attend school daily. The two youngest, twins, are in a day-care center.
Hanley Denning, 34, founded the Safe Passage program after being invited by a nun to visit the garbage dump.
Denning said she was shocked by the plight of the thousands of people who scavenge through the dump daily and who live in the surrounding slums.
"I saw hundreds of kids who really wanted to go to school and, for what I thought was a nominal amount of money, couldn't. As an educator, it angered me," she said. "I felt this obligation to go back and see what I could do to make a difference for those kids."
Denning said she listened to the people describe their needs. Then, utilizing her experience teaching and working with the U.S. government program, Head Start, she drew up plans for her program.
"The children we serve are very at-risk in the sense that they are growing up in one of the worst areas of Guatemala City," she said. "The area is plagued by gang activity, drug abuse and crime.
"A lot of the kids never had any formal structure or experience in school, so some of them had behaviors that were difficult for even the most hardened teachers to imagine," she said. "They were bringing extremely horrendous experiences with them."
With a $10,000 grant from the Sisters of the Precious Blood in Dayton, Ohio, Safe Passage began with an after-school program for 40 first-grade students. An additional 90 students sporadically attended Safe Passage's drop-in program.
Claudio Ramos, 23, director of Safe Passage's after-school program, stressed that it is not a school but a reinforcement system that works closely with a dozen neighborhood schools.
Children attend school for a morning or afternoon session, then come to Safe Passage's building during their free time to do homework, participate in recreational activities and receive vocational training.
They also eat what will perhaps be their only meal of the day.
"Safe Passage is not a handout program," Denning said. "Every child is expected to earn his or her assistance toward school expenses by attending classes and Safe Passage on a consistent basis."
Guatemalan social workers employed by Safe Passage monitor the child's participation. A student's effort is valued over high grades, but many of Safe Passage's students are top performers in their classes.
"The children and parents learn that through their own effort and attendance they can move themselves beyond the city dump through education," Denning said.
From January to October, school in Guatemala is mandatory for children between the ages of 5 and 15, yet many do not attend for a variety of reasons. While public school is theoretically free in Guatemala, students must pay registration and uniform fees.
Many parents cannot afford those costs, said Fredy Maldonado, 39, Safe Passage's special projects coordinator. He said that Safe Passage is free and provides students with school supplies.
Denning said many parents are unfamiliar with schools and do not consider education a priority over work. As an incentive for parents to keep their children in school, Safe Passage provides food and clothing to replace the lost earning power of the children. It also offers parenting training.
Until recently, Safe Passage operated in a rent-free, city-owned building, known by staff as "the submarine" because of its gloomy interior.
The program just completed a move to a new building that will provide a permanent and safe place for the children, Denning said. The new building houses classrooms, a computer center and small health clinic and offers a variety of services.
Safe Passage currently has 350 students, including 32 who live in Casa Hogar, a residential unit in San Pedro los Huertas, near Antigua.
Although the program cannot afford to take on more children, exceptions are made for children entering Casa Hogar, Maldonado said.
"They're all children in crisis," he said. "We can't say, 'I can't take you. Go home so your father can beat you some more.' Generally, it's a life or death situation."
Parents or guardians of a child must give their consent before a child enters Casa Hogar, and the child must agree to abide by the rules, said Vilma Garcia, 27, community liaison for Safe Passage.
Walter Yoc, 12, said he found it difficult at first to adjust to life at Casa Hogar, but now likes the home. His grandmother requested that, for his safety, he return home only once a month.
"I really like it here," Walter said. "We have lots of space, and it's different. I have a room of my own and good food to eat."
Safe Passage employs 23 Guatemalans as teachers, social workers and office administrators. The program also relies on the talents of more than a dozen foreign volunteers.
"Volunteers provide the individual caring and attention these kids need," said Denning. "They are critical to the success of the program."
Denning said most volunteers stay between one month and two years. They range in age from high school students to middle-aged adults.
Total expenses for 2003 were more than $370,000, said Edward Mahoney, 51, the organization's volunteer accountant. Mahoney estimates the budget will increase about $19,000 this year due to the rising costs of the educational program and social services.
"Our objective is that the children graduate from high school," said Denning. "With a high school education, they can become teachers, secretaries or mechanics and move their families from the grinding poverty of the city dump to a better life."
- - -
Editors: Safe Passage can be contacted by mail at: P.O. Box 663, Yarmouth, ME 04096; or by e-mail at: caminoseguro@hotmail.com.
END
Copyright (c) 2004 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service.
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