On a Hot Afternoon

One of the projects I worked on in Belize involved going into the rural areas and discussing solid waste removal with the residents. The NGO I was working with, Cayo Center for development and Cooperation (CCDC), was attempting to establish a program that would pick up the trash from the rural villages and haul it to the landfill. CCDC had developed the plans to clean up and manage the dump. The project required the residents of the villages to contribute financially to support the cost of the pickup program and to help segregate the trash prior to the pick up. I went from home to home, discussing the program, gathering information, and educating the people on the hazards of burning all of their waste. The success of the program depended on the residents accepting and participating in it. While working in BillyWhite, a small rural village in the Cayo District, I met this young lady. She was babysitting her little sister on a hot afternoon.