Note* This story is part of the ongoing social documentary photography-humanitarian project, FAMILIES OF THE DUMP, in Mae Sot Thailand, which was started in 2013. We do photography that is then used to raise money to buy, headlamps, boots, medicines, food, tools, candy etc. The donations also include donated hats, boots, and toys (where this story comes from). Burmese refugee families have been working and living in the garbage dump just outside Mae Sot Thailand for over a decade.
Note* The doll in this story was donated by a young child in Canada. She wanted to give her toys to children at the dump, she has done this 2 times over 2 different Thai trips. I work with the young girls mother who arranges the transfer of toys and also has donated funds (4 or 5 times) to buy things for the families.
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 2020
Giving Away A Doll Story
Wrote of this dump 2019 giving away a doll story before but thought I would share it one more time. Sitting in my guardhouse in the snow of Canada it came to mind once again. Memory flashbacks to the people in Thai happen all the time to me.
So, I am in the dump and see the little girl at her dump shack home who I will give the doll to. I reach in my camera bag and take it out. Then I make doll walking, talking noises as I hand it to the little surprised refugee Burmese child. She is absolutely thrilled! After I gave her the doll, I realize I need a photo of her with it so I can show the toy donating child in Canada and her mother (they can see where their donation went). The little Burmese girl thou is hugging the doll all backwards, she has this sort of happy, hugging doll, death grip, thing happening. I do not have a good angle to make a photo, I will not be able to show the folks back home. It is important they see the good they did, I need to do something! I cannot ask her to turn the doll around as that is beyond my Burmese speaking capabilities. So I reach in and TAKE THE DOLL BACK!! The poor child looks at me with 'ABSOLUTE HORROR!!!". I am not going to give her the toy, I am taking it away!!! I can still remember her face, it was disappointment times 10! I then turn the doll around and hand it back to her and the picture below is made. She thought for a second the toy was not hers to keep. Thinking of the face she made, the sudden expression change from joy to shocked disappointment still makes me giggle. Anyway, she smiled again and all was good..one of a thousand dump stories.
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| Girl with donated doll, Mae Sot garbage dump, Thailand, 2019 |
