Zámbiza is a province in Quito, Ecuador. In December of 2013, my wife and I traveled on a Mission/Humanitarian trip to this region of Ecuador. We were charged with bringing food, clothing, toys, and joy to the people of a very impoverished area of the world. While in the province of Zámbiza, we traveled to the city dump.

 

Originally a vast sea of trash and chemical waste, the dump had been transformed into a processing plant where former residents could become recyclers and create incomes for their families. The horrific conditions of seeing families dig through garbage, smelling the overwhelming stenches, and hearing the deafening roars of constant machinery will stay with me forever.

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This piece is not meant to manifest the exact emotions in the listener that I felt as I watched people scurry through the trash, but it is a deep inner reflection of what I saw and experienced. My time in Zámbiza will not be forgotten.