OUT OF THE DUMP - Puerto Vallarta, Mexico May 2017

OUT OF THE DUMP

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico  May 2017

The very descriptive former name

In the many years that we have been to Paradise Village, we had always known about "Families at the Dump," an affiliated nonprofit that helped families living at the local dump--a far cry from the luxury vacation, lying under a palapa on the beach--that its visitors were experiencing.

Hungry chicos came en masse

This visit we decided we were going to find a way to get involved. We soon met Winnie, a Canadian missionary who was one of the founders and, make no mistake, the head honcho. Our initial hope was to do leadership training classes for some of the teens, but Winnie wrongly got it in her head that we were there to try to tell her staff what to do despite what her fellow volunteers were telling her to the contrary.  

Eileen feeding the littlest guest.

Nonetheless, we did have the opportunity to visit the site with Javier, a local pastor hired by Winnie who runs the organization with his wife. 

As a way to familiarize them with the nonprofit, Paradise Village encourages guests to volunteer once a week to help serve lunch. We were able to do this twice, passing out full plates to the hordes of children who came, hungry for lunch and talking excitedly in their rapid Spanish which we tried to interpret as best we could. 

A place to play and learn

In additional to an expansive new hall, which can be used for special events as well as meals, with the assistance of the Paradise Village developer, they built an apartment building next to the former city dump site. It has 75 modern apartments to house families in poverty. Living there rent free, they are required to save money to purchase land. At the end of five years they need to move out and then pay it forward. 

Children lining up to choose toys

Although we were hoping to help them move in, we were a week or two early. Nevertheless, we got to share in the excitement as the carefully-vetted new tenants (who had been living in nearby shacks with tin roofs and no running water) got to see their fully furnished apartments--with complete kitchens and modern bathrooms, for the first time. 

The air was full of gratitude and more than a few tear-streaked faces as they anticipated their new lives. And the foundation has a new name that aptly describes that future:  Familias de la Esperanza ("Families of Hope").