Scuba kids-- by Erica

On Tuesday, we also visited a school for kids. These are kids that are referred to as "scuba kids" becayse, if they didn't have a school to attend then they would be scuba diving for things in the dumpster. Their parents work in the dump, other children work in the dump, and many of these children were rescued from a life of dumpster diving. The dump is in this community's backyard, and before the school, a lot of these kids did not know another way of life. For many of the families, their kids are able to stay in school because the school also provides Stop Hunger Now meals for the students' families. This is in hopes that families will allow their kids to receive an education because their education is also a means of nutrition for families.

This was a particularly hard visit for me. Driving into the school, you could see the dump. It was mountains high and dust and pollution seemed to fill the air. Then their was a school, which in many ways seemed to be a safe haven for kids. They were kids, no different from children inany other corner of the world. They deserved a right to a childhood were they could learn, grow, but most importantly, be a kid.