Fernando Nuño in Chimborazo
The inhabitants of San Gerónimo del Porlón believe in miracles. Old cardboard is transformed into book pages every day. Broken plastic bottles are turned into irrigation hoses. And organic leftovers become compost that will enhance the quality of the province’s agricultural products.
San Gerónimo del Porlón waste dump is an everyday Pandora's box for some 300 recycling workers. It is here that the Ecuadoran Red Cross has started community health and income generation programmes for 70 vulnerable families.
"With the economic crisis and the dollarization (the US dollar is the official currency of Ecuador), farming products hardly permit us to meet half our needs. For this reason we supplement the income from our vegetable gardens with what we find at the dump," explains Fernando Rochina, president of San Gerónimo’s recycling cooperative.
The sale of material for recycling permits them to earn 0.1 dollar per kilogramme of organic matter, 0.05 dollar per kilogramme of cardboard or paper, and 0.05 dollar per kilogramme of plastic suitable for melting.
Although the dump offers a chance to raise their living standards, it puts them at risk in many ways: transmission of rabies from rats, digestive infections and hepatitis, among other diseases.
"We cannot stop the recycling workers earning their livings at the dump, so we provide them with tools to enhance their health and prevent diseases", says Esthela Falconi, president of the Ecuadorian Red Cross in Chimborazo.
Better safe than sorry
Supported by the Spanish Red Cross, the Ecuadorian Red Cross has developed a risk prevention unit on the outskirts of the dump of San Gerónimo del Porlón, which distributes safety helmets, masks, gloves and boots. The Red cross has also installed a hygiene zone with drinking water outside the dump. Families can wash themselves there properly, and have access to a safe source of water.
Sixteen-year-old, Lorena Sani, is an expert in how to turn organic rubbish into compost. But she also knows well how to handle the refuse in order to preserve her health. "Thanks to the equipment we now count on, I only suffered a slight flu during this year," she says.
The programme also includes training in disease prevention and key issues in relation to health. With the same aim, the Ecuadorian Red Cross will provide the recycling cooperative with machinery to allow them to speed up the processing of some materials.
"These more stable incomes will permit us to improve our diet. Our food is now rich in carbohydrates but poor in proteins. It is easier to keep on working healthily with our lifestyle if we are well fed", says Fernando Rochina.