Over 175 families live in the Managua city dump, known as La Chureca. Many more come daily to comb through the piles of trash to find enough to sell to pay for food and other life necessities. There are severe respiratory and other health problems from breathing in the fumes from the smoking and burning piles of trash. Malnutrition is widespread and evident in the children’s swelled bellies and blond hair that lacks nutrients to maintain its natural dark color. STDs and prostitution are also a problem, and girls of all ages sell their bodies for money or other commodities. Many children and adults are addicted to sniffing shoe-glue, which helps suppress hunger and allows them to escape the reality of the life they are confined to in the dump. There are limited opportunities for these families for employment or residence outside the dump. They also often lack the motivation to take advantage of the opportunities that do exist, having become complacent with now dependent on their existence in the dump.

Evolving list of other orgs or people working in La Chureca (please add or edit!):

1)  Colegio La Esperanza - Run by Open Hearts Children's Relief Mission.  Program Coordinator: Melissa Buzbee.  About 350 children from La Chureca are currently enrolled in this program.

2)  Pro Nica: Los Quinchos, Quaker House

3)  Juntos Contigo

4)  Manna Project International (MPI) - Feeding and Child Sponsorship Program, and now helping to support the Funjofudess Clinic

5)  La Ciudad del Nino

6)  La Chureca center

7)  Forward Edge. Building a residential complex for children from La Chureca on the outskirts of Managua

8)  Nica HOPE - Nica HOPE is working in partnership with Fabretto Children's Foundation to establish vocational training opportunities for youth of La Chureca.

9)  Out of the Dump  Cheryl Avery has a project called Project Chacocente where she took 10 families from La Chureca and set up a farming cooperative out near Masaya...also had vocational training for the women, built a school on the land, etc...really cool deal and it is working. She said recently that she might be starting a second one.

10) Padre Pena - Feeding program/preschool/dentist clinic outside of the dump (exit via the main entrance and turn right at the road; just before the road curves to the left). tthis is also the place that started the recycling program (took families from la chureca started 2 cooperatives; gave them land for a sorting center and supplies/tools, etc to use their knowledge of recycling goods from the dump and took out the middle men...harder work but 60% increase in income)

11)  Casa Base de Salud - The clinic is supported by funjofudes a nicaraguan organization. the german embassy funded the classroom in back and funjofudess received their funds (which run out this year) from a Belgian foundation.

12) Love, Light, and Melody
 

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