Working as our Program Director in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, I regularly see one of the worst forms of child labor: children working in garbage dumps.

And yet I also get the chance to tell students, in person, that there’s another way. By studying and working hard at school, they can have a path out of the dump. One of the stories that makes me tear up with happiness is José Gilson’s. He’s an example of how dreams can be fulfilled.  

As a young child, José accompanied his father and siblings to the municipal landfill. They collected plastic bottles to sell so they could earn some money. As time went by, they began to work with a neighbor, bringing her waste from the garbage dump for raising pigs that she had in her house. She paid them a value of Lps 50.00 ($2.00) for each bag of food. They always brought her two bags a day.

For years, the family continued to work at the dump site.

Then when he was in 7th grade, José became one of our Samaritan Scholars. He was able to cut back on work, concentrate on his studies, and complete a technical degree in refrigeration! Now, at age 20, he’s working as a refrigerator technician while also studying electricity at a technical school.

“It has not been easy for me to get to where I am in terms of my professional training and that is something that motivates me even more,” José said. “Because if I have gotten this far, then I know I can achieve much more.”

I am confident that I will see José’s continued success, and I watch as the other scholars and children in the community look to him as a role model. One way he’s helping others succeed is by spending part of his salary to help cover school expenses for his younger siblings.

“I remember what my life was like when I went to the garbage dump,” José wrote to me recently. “I wonder if I would be alive if I was still there. I thank God for having put people like you in my path. I can say that my life has taken a 180-degree turn.”

This is why I do what I do every day: so that lives can make 180-degree turns.

Erika Cuevas, Program Director

Erika has a degree in Management and Social Development. She has been working with International Samaritan since 2016 and before that she worked with at-risk children and youth for thirteen years. Her work consistently focuses on eradicating child labor in the municipal garbage dumps.