"The sun rises over the plateau of Neuquen's open-air rubbish tip. Maia, nine, and her brothers, aged 11 and seven, huddle by a campfire. Their mother, Gisel, rummages through bags that smell of rotten fruit and meat. Situated at the northern end of Argentinian Patagonia, 100km (60 miles) from Vaca Muerta one of the world's largest fossil gas reserves children here roam amid twisted metal, glass and rubbish spread over five hectares (12 acres). The horizon is waste."
"She grabs sticks to open bags, looking for toys, false nails, or items to sell. She is saving to buy her mother a gift. Her brothers sit by the fire; the youngest sleepy, the eldest angry. Cachurea near me, says Gisel. Slipping on a glove full of holes to dig through the bags, she expects the supermarket truck before noon and hopes for canned or frozen food."
At the Neuquen open-air rubbish tip, children and families live amid twisted metal, glass and refuse spread over five hectares. Nine-year-old Maia and her brothers scavenge for cans, wires, toys and food while their mother searches bags that smell of rotten fruit and meat. Manzana 34 sits about 300 metres from the dump and houses roughly 400 families who rely on the site for food, school supplies, furniture and building materials. Across Argentina there are about 5,000 open-air dumps; some 150,000 children live within 300 metres of dumps, facing hunger, health hazards and educational exclusion.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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