Dump Tours

Since the interns have left, I've been going out on the dump tour each Thursday to pass out sandwiches to the people working there. Going out there really keeps me aware of the suffering of some of the people here in Mexico. The conditions are just horrible to work in - flies EVERYWHERE, horrible smells, dangerous machines driving around, glass and sharp objects, and the heat. Its hard to know that the people that work there make around 60 pesos a day - that's just about 5 dollars, and it's not just for one person, but probably for their whole family. 5 dollars slips out of my pocket so quickly because I'm not struggling to get the next meal together. Sometimes there's youth working there, and even one time I saw a 7-month pregnant 15 year old. Living below the dump are many families with little kids running around bare footed, often naked or without shirts, and many of them have visible skin diseases and are very dirty. Recently I've noticed many of the kids have the distended stomach that is characteristic of malnutrition. It just breaks my heart knowing that these kids are living this way, but it also breaks my heart knowing how much of my life I live without thinking about them or doing anything about it. At least we're giving them sandwiches, but could I be doing more? That is the aching question inside my heart whenever I go out there.