A Family Day At the Dump By Pam Harrison Here is a story from 2000 that I wanted to share again. I have just completed my third trip into Honduras with Paramedics for Children. On this trip I decided to bring along my 9 year old Son. He had been wanting to see where I was always "running off to" and why I felt such a strong commitment to this place, and these children. I had tried to prepare my son James for what he would see, but as always, there were never enough words to describe the beauty of Honduras, or the poverty of her people. My job with Paramedics for Children at that time was training director for the rescue squad, but when I'm not teaching I am fortunate enough to accompany Rodger to many of the remote mountain schools on horseback. This was the Honduras I wanted my family to see. The beauty, the stillness, the color, the people, the illness and the poverty.One morning near the start of our 18 day stay, Rodger and I saddled up and took what we thought would be a joy ride to the small school of La Laguna to watch the children during an art class sponsored by Copan Pinta.

Instead, what I saw that day astonished even me. Rodger had taken a short cut by the city dump. There was an array of animals, cattle, dogs, buzzards, cats, all emaciated and all scavenging for food. Scattered among the animals were the people, mothers holding babies, and older children searching desperately for a meal. I remember thinking, "what could possibly be left for them to find?" But, still they remained, driven by desperation, digging through the rubbish for hours. Rodger went on to explain that this was garbage day in the town of Copan Ruinas so this was where the poor people came to find food or anything else of value. At Rodger's urging we rode up closer, so that I could get a good look at what was going on. As we sat there we watched the little children sift through the rotting garbage for any scraps of food they could find. Now, I'm a veteran paramedic, and believed that I had already seen just about every horrific thing that humans could endure but this was almost more than I could stand. I sat on my horse, and knew that the next day I had to return with my son. I wanted him to see this. The next afternoon, as we all saddled up. I told my son James where we were headed. He just looked at me, one eyebrow raised with that curious look of his. ''We're going where Mom?'', he asked. "You heard me'', I said. 'We're going to the dump. Because all the good garbage had been picked over the day before there were no animals on this day. Off to one side of the dump a mother stood with her child of 6 or 7. The little boy was totally nude except for a pair of shin high rubber boots. Belly swollen from hunger, he just stood there and stared as we rode up. The little boy looked up into the eyes of my son. Worlds apart, they studied each other, neither saying a word. The revere was finally broken as Rodger reached into his saddle bag, and passed James a lollipop to give to the child. James never even looked at it, he just continued to stare at the little boy. God only knows what was going through his mind. I took it for him, and then handed it to the little boy. He took it, smiled a big smile, and with a simple "Gracias" he went back to the garbage heap.

My Son asked me, "How could that boy be so happy in this dump?" You can look at all the pictures of starving children, but until you have smelled the smells, heard their voices, and made just one little child smile, You can never truly understand the reality. My family has always supported the work I do in Honduras, but now the place, and the people have touched them too. They no longer wonder why Mom has to go "running off"...now they understand. Like me they will never be the same.

The night before we were scheduled to come home my Son cried himself to sleep. All he kept saying between his tears was, "There wasn't enough time Mom,... there wasn't enough time ....we didn't do enough." Out of the mouths of babes... As I stroked his head, I closed my eyes and began to cry too.

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