Life on the garbage dump
The smell is almost visible – it’s almost tactile. There’s this sudden moment when you realize it’s people – it’s children and they’re working. They are going through the rubbish looking for recyclables, metals, plastic bottles making maybe 25 cents a day. The rubbish there includes everything from hospital garbage to body parts, fetuses, through to industrial waste through to restaurant waste – so kids will be searching through for recyclables as well as food.
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"My plan was to get around 45 children off the garbage dump. There was a magic in bringing the children into the facilities – that you be able to give them a school uniform, a school bag and a schedule." - Scott Neeson
"And we doubled in size within six months, and in the next four months we doubled in size again."
By 2007, 200 students were enrolled with CCF. That same year CCF opened its community center, providing a drop-in school, clean water, rice distribution and other basic community services.
The garbage dump closed in 2009 and the number of students at CCF had reached 500. That year CCF celebrated the opening of the community medical clinic, providing consultations and treatment to all people regardless of age, and completely free of charge for the patient.
Read more about Scott's journey
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