La Chureca Exhibit
A photographic journey in the trash dump of Managua, Nicaragua.
Imagine — reaching out and bringing hope to kids who live, work, and play in a world made of trash. Imagine impacting an entire community of people imprisoned by mountains of garbage..Garbage is food waste, paper, boxes, bags, glass. Imagine kids running around in this day after day — on broken bottles, needles from the hospital, hazardous waste that a human should never come in close contact with. Think about how you would feel if the ground you slept on was the ground you worked on, ate on, went to the bathroom on.
LA CHURECA
La Chureca is a slang term for the city trash dump in Managua, Nicaragua, referring to a community of people who live and work there, "sifting" or "filtering" through the garbage daily... Real people, with brilliant smiles and vibrant souls, living amidst piles of burning trash, and next to polluted lakes—always looking for things of value to buy, sell, and trade—while under a constant pressure to survive. The mission of Love, Light & Melody in La Chureca is simple: to become expert on life in the dump, to acknowledge and affirm the people who live there, to find and develop new jobs away from the trash, and to see La Chureca closed and a new, sustainable, and secure land-fill developed elsewhere. LL&M will stand with this community of people to help them transition into a new life and means of supporting themselves when that beautiful day comes. Cycles of poverty, abuse, and addiction exist in La Chureca, and child prostitution has thrived as a sinister form of currency there as well. Love, Light & Melody will battle this culture of darkness with the 'rays of light' that come from education, raised awareness, vocational training for men, women, and children, and the continued planning of events in the community that celebrate life, joy, and hope... Love, Light & Melody will stand with this community of people until the uniquely debilitating elements of life in La Chureca are eliminated.