Email: Chemeeko Starts To Work

Wrote this email to a person who works at the Art Gallery of Alberta. I feel lousy about it, been thinking about Chemeeko all day. The little guy has a loving mother and father, his dad works all the time (saw that yesterday). His grand parents watch over him and also work hard. They are all just so desperately poor.

I will hand out some head lamps and boots to them in the coming days. Chemeeko is just learning the garbage now, in a few years he might be picking and digging more often and in need of his own headlamp.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your welcome -------. Tell you one quick story then let you work, will not bug you again. In 2013 during my first year in the dump, my 3rd day I photographed a wedding. A young girl of 15 was marrying a young man of 17. You can see them at the 2:25 point of this video, she is dressed in her wedding outfit. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBJEVN8yh9Q&t=200s

So the next year I go back and they have a young boy, Chemeeko. Flash forward to this trip and about 4 years later. Last night the grand mom of Chemeeko asked me to buy him some size 8 children's boots. Today I saw him digging in the garbage for the first time. It is so sad, a never ending cycle of poverty, one generation to the next working the garbage dump. I watched this little one grow up, and today I took his photo in the garbage wearing the little orange Chinese made boots. It was shocking, sad, but inevitable I guess.

Here is Chemeeko's younger sister, from this trip. How long before she to is in the garbage picking?Thanks for caring -------, please keep an eye on the blog when you have time. Gerry

https://gerryyaum.blogspot.com/2017/10/selfie-of-day.html

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few pics of Chemeeko in the past.

Here is Chemeeko in the garbage today.

In the garbage