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| Zihua Roofs |
You can view the site by clicking on the link: http://www.zihuaroofs.com/
The picture is of the house that was built by the Canadian Work Team. Mo and Andy supplied the roof. Notice the contrast between the typical homes at the dump (right) and the new one. The new one is not much more than a one room shack itself; then contrast the new house with your house where you live for perspective.
You've probably heard economists say most people live on less than $2 per day, but this may be a simplistic way of explaining the problem. The dump environment is Third World, which would probably be true for all of Mexico if it was not adjacent to the United States. From my perspective, it looks like incompetent/corrupt governments play a role in holding back developing nations like Mexico, and must be responsible in part for "dump communities." I doubt this kind of life-style would be tolerated here, but the only way we've managed to keep the "$2 per day" crowd off our streets is through welfare. The closest approximation I've seen to true poverty in America was during the six years I spent running the mission on skid row in Portland. However, I would not call what I saw true poverty. The main problem downtown is substance abuse and addiction, which creates the housing/nutrition/medical crises the missions attempt to heal. Food stamps, welfare & disability social security checks are not solving this problem. But this is a long throw from communities living off garbage dumps. The answer is probably in this photo: non-government, big-hearted people, building relational bonds with truly poor people who want a better life.
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