Escuela La Esperanza in La Chureca

Quizá una de las cosas que más me impresionó de mi primer día en La Chureca fue descubrir cómo en el corazón del basurero late la vida de un barrio y de sus gentes, con sus pulperías, su centro de salud y su escuela. La Escuela La Esperanza de La Chureca celebró el lunes la fiesta de navidad con todos sus alumnos. Aquí van algunas fotos de mi primera visita a La Chureca y a la Escuela La Esperanza.

Perhaps one of the most impressive things in my first day in La Chureca was discovering how in the garbage dump's heart life beats : a neighbourhood's life and its people, its pulperías (shops), its health centre, its school. Last Monday the Esperanza (Hope) School in La Chureca hosted the annual Christmas Festival for its students. Next some photos of my first visit to La Chureca and La Esperanza School.

Like any other neighbourhood, or 'condo', there is an entrance and a gate-keeper.





People live in houses they made with the abandoned materials, found in La Chureca


Wherever human being is, there is some kind of economic activity. As cattle.


Or the main economic activity, recycling. It was also impressive to see the economic specialization in the near neighborhood of Acahualinca where piles and piles of plastic bottles, bags, glass, where stored, ready to be sold to the intermediators.


There are streets


And of course, there are 'pulperías' (small shops), like the one run by Ramona López. Ramona is also one of the community leaders. In the picture Ramona is interviewed by the journalist Karla Alonso.



Photographers have turned out to be one more of the frequenty visitors to the neighbourhood. It is impressive to google about La Chureca and discover how much coverage has gained by international photographers. La Chureca has become a compulsory stop for many free-lance reporters travelling to Nicaragua for any reason, as Karla Alonso, journalist of Diario Hoy explained. In the picture, Guillermo, photographer of Diario Hoy.


And of course, there is a school, La Esperanza School run by a christian NGO since 2000. The kids attending this school suffer any kind of abuses and lack a proper diet. By attending school they are kept away from work, during part of the day. Next September this school will no longer be there when La Chureca is shut down.




Meeting to discuss the activities with the kids for today


It is Christmas. Time for charity. These are some of the presents donated for the kids by international and Nicaraguan NGOs. It is also Melissa's office. Melissa has been working for the Chureca School during the last four years. She spends part of her time at La Chureca, part in trips to Churches in the US to raise funding, and part reporting achievements and 'advertising' La Chureca through Facebook or youtube.


Non participant observation? As a 'chelita' it is difficult to pass unnoticed


The kids, the clown, the show


But as the Churequenos say, 'AECID (Spanish Cooperation) is going to end La Chureca'. And La Chureca, with its people, its streets, its houses, its school, its health centre, its pulperías is going to disappear they way we know it: it is going to be moved. How will the new Chureca look like? How much of the old Chureca will be left? The machines are ready to shut down the garbage dump, and the Spanish Cooperation has already placed the signs. The project has being started.