While working/traveling in Nicaragua last July, I was fortunate to cross paths with a few professional photojournalists in their element. It was a learning experience and a treat to watch these guys in action while traveling through the countryside with them — by bus, jeep, horseback, and kayak. One of these photogs was Kansas-based Jon Goering, who had placed himself on a remote beach in northwestern Nicaragua to capture a slice of life on the Cosigüina peninsula. Jon has published the first slice in a photo essay called “Nicaragua: Children of the Dump, Chinandega.”
I especially like the shot of the girl on the pile of peanut shells, but her smile is only one scene in this story. The images are throat-swelling and gratitude-inspiring, especially for a new parent who knows that there-but-for-the-grace-of-God goes my daughter. In fact, children living and working in landfills is, unfortunately, common in most Central American cities. For an even more intimate glimpse into this world, watch the film “A Recycled Life.”
