crematorio

Last week I went with work to the dump hill of Tegucigalpa. This is basically the place where entire Tegus´ trash is found. While arriving I already had a strange feeling. I knew that the extend of poverty that I have know so far will not be anything compared to what I am going to experience there. Around 1,000 people ought to be found there who live IN the dump. These people are in a very dangerous place because of all the toxic substances they live around. Some of the problems existing in the dump are HIV, prostitution, drug addiction, alcoholism, and illegal abortions. The average life expectancy in this place is around 40 years. It was a very humbling and surreal experience to be there.
Just to make the picture a big more colourful. That day there were approximately 150 people looking for trash they can actually recycle. Amongst them plastic bottles (a bag full of those bottles is worth 100 Lempira which is approximately 3 Euros), simple plastic and metal.

When a truck arrived with "fresh trash" the major attention is drawn on the car. It is seriously a question of surviving. When I talk here about surviving I mean seriously surviving. People, dogs and zapilotes (big big big black birds who fight equally for food like the humans and dogs - they usually win for their size) fight for food like animals. The most popular trucks are the fast food chains. Of course, because they can actually find food.
It was a strange feeling standing up on that hill. Especially because with every new truck that came the earth started to move. (of course, because the hill was a trash hill)

The "architecture" was interesting indeed. Cartons stuck one into the other, which basically made up their accomodation. No running water, neither electricity. The kids I met and played with, told me that there was a nearby school. I doubt it though. And all of them told the same story. They are working here to help aliment their families.

When we left the dump hill I only felt dirty and shocked of the extent of poverty.

public hospital reality

Today I spent 8 hours in the public hospital of Tegucigalpa. Entering, heaps of people all waiting desperatly, in pain, for the doctor to attend them. The reason I went to the hospital was for a girl named Yessica Pelera, 16. Poor girl was raped by her own stepfather. And as it turned out today in the hospital, she is pregant from him. Already 4 and a half month ahead with her pregancy. So we accompanied her to the hospital, as this is as well a duty of the "educadores de la calle". Anyhow when we arrive we had to wait for 2 hours to get to see that doctor. He then sent us the the 5th floor where we had to wait for an x-ray exam. But when it was apparently our turn, they sent us down again, because here you have to pay for all the exams before actually receiving the service. When it was finally our turn, it turns out we have to go to "social service" before so they give us the ok that we can go to the cash desk. From the cash desk back up to the 5th floor and then again wait for another 3 hours. From there they sent us down again to the doctor from before in the emergency. I guess this is a pretty good preview why the country doesnt work, because
1. of all they dont work with computers and any kind of network but with paper
2. public health is not free of charge but you have to pay instantly
During all this day I felt on the one hand like the M.C. Escher picture with the many stairs which are connected with one and another and it just doesnt want to find an end.

Vicious circle of poverty and an economic crisis united

hey everyone...

well .. I have basically been rising above these days... work is pretty hard on me these days....
I have told some of you, that 2 of my kids died 2 weeks ago.
Carla was 16 years old... she got raped by 4 guys under the bridge, downtown.... after her violation they took a knife and killed her.
Pablito... was already 19 years old... he supposably died from the cold .. that is what the newspaper said but it can be assumed, that he died from an overdosis of resistol. last week ... one of my kids (dennie funal) commited suicide...we were on the way to bring him to an institution for drug addicts... and on the way he takes out a bottle of resistol and i tell him... either the good way... where we can still help him... or the way where we have to close the doors for him because he s been abusing casa alianza.... well he picked the wrong way ...because 2 hours later we get a calll that he s in front of the hospital and about to jump from a bridge... :(... again... something that i feel responsible for... but my colleges told me that I shouldnt because it was out of our hands... if drug addicts dont see the necessity of their change.. we can not force them neither.

all these destinies are so unjustified. Because if we think about it, just for a while. They were all victims of society and an improperly working government. (*censorship*) If they bother enough to put more effort to improve public education and support families in need, Pablo and Carla may still be alive. The vicious circle of capitalism still goes on. It seems like, we are running around in circles backwards, with no end. Once one sees poverty to the extend, where kids are looking for toys in the trash, were child labour so normal, where workers rights are violated to the extreme that one assumes that the phrase of "human rights" is a foreign word... that is the point where one keeps asking in what kind of luxury we live, without even realising it.

NGOS have very good intentions. But when the staff is not supposed to have a trade union (they did have one years ago, but the representatives got paid well enough to shut up and resolve the trade union which was supposed to represent the workers) and violated unconcsiously the labour rights. When even though the minimum wage was raised from 4400 Lempira (170 Euro) to 5500 Lempira (210 Euro) and this is not executed, even worst... the workers only get 4000 Lempira minimum wage.... that is not fair.
But I cant help asking myself whether it is worth to fight for principles and rights if in the end it would mean getting fired and joining the poorer getting poorer and being unable to escape the vicious circle of the economic crisis in the world?...

xoxo