Guatemala Out of the Dump
July 2003 - 1532
Picturesque boat on lake
Music
12:00
Women wash clothes
Byrne: The western highlands of Guatemala are made for a camera. All a photographer needs do is click and print.
12:15
Photos
Music
12:27
Nancy with children
Byrne: But this is no ordinary photography lesson. The students are among this poor countrys very poorest children. And what theyre learning here, on the still shores of Lake Atitlan, is nothing less than how to change their world.
12:38
Children take photos
Nancy: Its not just about teaching kids photography, youre using photography as a tool. And what youre actually doing is opening a door, letting them see there are other opportunities.
13:03
Nancy
And that if they can dream it, they can do it.
Byrne: Do they believe it?
Nancy: Yeah, I think they do. Finally. (laughs)
13:12
Nancy with students
Byrne: Nancy McGirr was one of Reuters top war photographers who came to Guatemala from El Salvador 14 years ago, sickened by what shed seen there.
13:32
Nancy
Nancy: When I originally decided to stop Reuters it was election day in 1989 where two of the fellows Id actually trained as photographers were shot by the army.
13:47
Nancy with students
So I decided to move to Guatemala and take a look at things that didnt have to do with war.
14:02
Byrne: Her students today are still beginners. But, because of Nancy, they will be educated, learn a skill, and get chance to travel and show their work internationally. Astonishing when you consider what theyve come from. And what theyve had to confront to get here.
14:12
Rubbish dump
Music
Byrne: It all started at Guatemalas main rubbish dump. A place of almost lyrical ugliness. A dusty, toxic hell.
Each day, thousands scavenge for plastic, scrap metal, and food.
When Nancy McGirr first came to the dump, on assignment, hundreds of children lived here too one of them was Evelyn Mansilla , then ten years old.
14:42
Evelyn at dump
Evelyn: I had to work -- feeding pigs, looking for things...
15:39
Evelyn
Sometimes we would eat in the dump -- food the trucks would bring from restaurants. We played there too. We would find our dolls in the dump.
15:44
Evelyn takes photos at dump
Byrne: Evelyn is now 21 and still lives by the dump, where her father, mother, and grandparents all worked before her. Her uncle still does, driving a bulldozer.
But Evelyn is now studying at university. She works as a teacher, and cadet photographer. She is rewriting her familys history.
16:06
Evelyn
Evelyn: I think it ends with me because in my family I do everything possible to contribute to help my mum. I dont want my brothers and sisters working in the dump.
16:38
Evelyn takes photos at dump
We are working very hard to prevent it, so I dont think the chain will go on.
17:00
Byrne and Evelyn
Byrne: Is it the camera that changed your life, or you think you would have left the dump anyway?
Evelyn: It changed my life drastically and my direction. It pushed me towards where I wanted to go and was a big turning point in my life.
17:11
Photos of Nancy and students
Music
17:32
Byrne: This was Nancys very first group of students the class of 91, aged from 5 to 12. She called her group Out of the Dump and taught them to use simple cameras. Why? Because she could. And as it turned out, they could, too. With clear young eyes, the children of the dump filmed it all.
17:40
Nancy: I think visually they didnt have any television so they saw things in their own way. And the other thing is that when they were young especially when they were young they didnt do any self-censoring. They took pictures of everything. They took pictures of their aunt sniffing glue. They took pictures of things their father had thrown around when he was drunk and I thought wow, whats going on.
18:14
Nancy
But I think a lot of it was these kids had never owned a camera, theyd never owned anything where they could properly express their own interests and what they wanted to do.
18:40
Photos
Byrne: But the photographs were not all grim. They showed joy, and laughter, and the universal dance that is childs play. This picture, of an imprisoned princess, was shot by five year old Marta, Nancy McGirrs first and youngest student
18:55
Photo of Marta
This is Marta today. A poised 18-year old, who hasnt just exhibited abroad shes been there.
19:18
Marta: The first country I went to was Holland, and from there we travelled to London. Later I went to Holland a second time and last year was my most recent trip -- and that was to San Francisco to show my photos.
19:28
Nancy
Nancy: Its fun travelling with them, because they were always ready to go. They reminded me of kids that worked for a circus or something, they were like packed, ready to go for the next day. What are we going to do? Cameras on, out the door, you know. And I remember I asked Maritza what did she like about London and she said, well, she liked that building that was called Big, Big, Big Mac. (laughs)
19:44
Fotokids headquarters
Byrne: :Over the years, Nancys group has grown literally out of the dump, into a sunny house in Guatemala City. Fotokids, is the name now.
The older, trained photographers stick around to help with the young ones.
Each child is also sent to school, on a full scholarship. But for the kids, the camera itself is the prize -- their first, fabulous possession.
20:17
Samuel loads camera
Byrne: Samuel Perez started with Fotokids two years ago. Already, hes dead keen to become a photographer.
21:00
Samuel: I like my camera because its automatic and I can take it anywhere --and no one realises I have it. Some people dont know what it is, and think its a bible.
Byrne: Is it the most precious thing you have?
Samuel: Yes.
21:10
Samuel walks through slum
Byrne: Samuel lives with his father in one of the most dangerous districts of this unsafe city. His mother has left home, his older brothers are in rival gangs.
Samuel likes portraits. His favourite face is his grandmothers.
21:27
Samuel in darkroom
Nancy: Theres a lot of pressure on the mums to take them out of school. If youve got a boy thats 15 and not working, and you got five other kids in the family, theres no role models so nobody really knows what education can do for someone.
22:01
Theyre just taking it all on faith and lots of times the pressure, theyll pull them out.
Byrne: Other mothers do have faith and see very clearly what Nancy is offering, beyond the photography lessons.
22:20
Mely
Like Evelyns mother, Mely.
Mely: I thought that this lady was like an angel for us, because she didnt come to ask for anything in return. She just came to help.
22:28
Byrne: Do you sometimes at night think, why us? Why our family?
Mely: Yes. I think we have been chosen from thousands of families. There are so many who wish for that blessing and its not possible. Thank God, He sent someone to choose us directly.
22:45
Byrne: Congratulations on your daughter.
Mely: Thank you very much. And thank you for your moral support. Its thanks to that support that our children are coming out of poverty.
23:23:25
Church graveyard
Music
Byrne: During her Reuters years, when civil war raged in Guatemala, Nancy McGirr covered a terrible massacre of civilians by the military. The victims are buried here, at this small memorial park.
23:29
Santiago de Atitlan
So when Nancy chose to extend her project to the countryside, this is where she chose -- Santiago de Atitlan, by the shores of the lake. For all its beauty, desperately poor.
A project funded by donation and photo sales, which started with three cameras in a rubbish dump, now has f six separate homes, including one in Honduras.
23:49
Nancy
Byrne: Does it seem astonishing to you?
Nancy: Yeah. (laughs) It seems astonishing. Yeah, its astonishing we got 150 kids now. Yeah I dont even want to think about it (laughs)
24:28
Children walk down road
Music
24:40
Byrne: This is the sixth and latest class of Fotokids -- eight of them, each proudly carrying their own camera. They live in and around this small village, a couple of hours drive from the capital. Their teacher a young woman who knows, exactly, what this chance means --Evelyn.
24:52
Evelyn outside shop
Evelyn: For many years I had this really big dream to give back to society, or to children, what I have been able to have when I was young -- when I needed it.
25:21
Evelyn with children
So I had the opportunity to do it through the children themselves. To teach them the little I have learnt during all these years, and what I am learning as I go along.
25:38
Girl
Byrne: What do you want to do when you grow up?
Girl: I want to be a doctor.
Byrne: And Marvin, what do you want to be? Do you want to take photos when you get older?
Marvin: I want to take photos, it helps me grow up. And when Im big I want to be a fireman.
25:58
Nancy teaching
Byrne: Nancy McGirr planned to spend 6 months teaching, then get back to her own high-flying career. That was 12 years ago. She hasnt taken a lot of photographs since then but she has touched a lot of lives.
Byrne: The classic western professional question whats in it for you?
26:20
Nancy
Nancy: I think whats in it for me is actually seeing them grow and blossom, you know, because not many teachers have a chance to do that.
26:44
Evelyn takes photos at dump
And seeing kids that were shy, really sort of taking their life in their hands and moving forward with it, and seeing them succeed, you know. Seeing Evelyn struggle-- everybody watching Evelyn studying and going to the university and then suddenly thinking, hey you know, if Evelyn can do it I could probably do it, too. You know I'm really happy for these guys. And theyve been a part of my life now for 12 years. So you want the best for them. So thats what keeps me going.
26:55
Credits
OUT OF THE DUMP
Reporter: Jennifer Byrne
Camera: Geoffrey Lye
Sound: Kate Graham
Editor: Simon Brynjolffssen
Producer: Vivien Altman
July 2003 - 1532
Picturesque boat on lake
Music
12:00
Women wash clothes
Byrne: The western highlands of Guatemala are made for a camera. All a photographer needs do is click and print.
12:15
Photos
Music
12:27
Nancy with children
Byrne: But this is no ordinary photography lesson. The students are among this poor countrys very poorest children. And what theyre learning here, on the still shores of Lake Atitlan, is nothing less than how to change their world.
12:38
Children take photos
Nancy: Its not just about teaching kids photography, youre using photography as a tool. And what youre actually doing is opening a door, letting them see there are other opportunities.
13:03
Nancy
And that if they can dream it, they can do it.
Byrne: Do they believe it?
Nancy: Yeah, I think they do. Finally. (laughs)
13:12
Nancy with students
Byrne: Nancy McGirr was one of Reuters top war photographers who came to Guatemala from El Salvador 14 years ago, sickened by what shed seen there.
13:32
Nancy
Nancy: When I originally decided to stop Reuters it was election day in 1989 where two of the fellows Id actually trained as photographers were shot by the army.
13:47
Nancy with students
So I decided to move to Guatemala and take a look at things that didnt have to do with war.
14:02
Byrne: Her students today are still beginners. But, because of Nancy, they will be educated, learn a skill, and get chance to travel and show their work internationally. Astonishing when you consider what theyve come from. And what theyve had to confront to get here.
14:12
Rubbish dump
Music
Byrne: It all started at Guatemalas main rubbish dump. A place of almost lyrical ugliness. A dusty, toxic hell.
Each day, thousands scavenge for plastic, scrap metal, and food.
When Nancy McGirr first came to the dump, on assignment, hundreds of children lived here too one of them was Evelyn Mansilla , then ten years old.
14:42
Evelyn at dump
Evelyn: I had to work -- feeding pigs, looking for things...
15:39
Evelyn
Sometimes we would eat in the dump -- food the trucks would bring from restaurants. We played there too. We would find our dolls in the dump.
15:44
Evelyn takes photos at dump
Byrne: Evelyn is now 21 and still lives by the dump, where her father, mother, and grandparents all worked before her. Her uncle still does, driving a bulldozer.
But Evelyn is now studying at university. She works as a teacher, and cadet photographer. She is rewriting her familys history.
16:06
Evelyn
Evelyn: I think it ends with me because in my family I do everything possible to contribute to help my mum. I dont want my brothers and sisters working in the dump.
16:38
Evelyn takes photos at dump
We are working very hard to prevent it, so I dont think the chain will go on.
17:00
Byrne and Evelyn
Byrne: Is it the camera that changed your life, or you think you would have left the dump anyway?
Evelyn: It changed my life drastically and my direction. It pushed me towards where I wanted to go and was a big turning point in my life.
17:11
Photos of Nancy and students
Music
17:32
Byrne: This was Nancys very first group of students the class of 91, aged from 5 to 12. She called her group Out of the Dump and taught them to use simple cameras. Why? Because she could. And as it turned out, they could, too. With clear young eyes, the children of the dump filmed it all.
17:40
Nancy: I think visually they didnt have any television so they saw things in their own way. And the other thing is that when they were young especially when they were young they didnt do any self-censoring. They took pictures of everything. They took pictures of their aunt sniffing glue. They took pictures of things their father had thrown around when he was drunk and I thought wow, whats going on.
18:14
Nancy
But I think a lot of it was these kids had never owned a camera, theyd never owned anything where they could properly express their own interests and what they wanted to do.
18:40
Photos
Byrne: But the photographs were not all grim. They showed joy, and laughter, and the universal dance that is childs play. This picture, of an imprisoned princess, was shot by five year old Marta, Nancy McGirrs first and youngest student
18:55
Photo of Marta
This is Marta today. A poised 18-year old, who hasnt just exhibited abroad shes been there.
19:18
Marta: The first country I went to was Holland, and from there we travelled to London. Later I went to Holland a second time and last year was my most recent trip -- and that was to San Francisco to show my photos.
19:28
Nancy
Nancy: Its fun travelling with them, because they were always ready to go. They reminded me of kids that worked for a circus or something, they were like packed, ready to go for the next day. What are we going to do? Cameras on, out the door, you know. And I remember I asked Maritza what did she like about London and she said, well, she liked that building that was called Big, Big, Big Mac. (laughs)
19:44
Fotokids headquarters
Byrne: :Over the years, Nancys group has grown literally out of the dump, into a sunny house in Guatemala City. Fotokids, is the name now.
The older, trained photographers stick around to help with the young ones.
Each child is also sent to school, on a full scholarship. But for the kids, the camera itself is the prize -- their first, fabulous possession.
20:17
Samuel loads camera
Byrne: Samuel Perez started with Fotokids two years ago. Already, hes dead keen to become a photographer.
21:00
Samuel: I like my camera because its automatic and I can take it anywhere --and no one realises I have it. Some people dont know what it is, and think its a bible.
Byrne: Is it the most precious thing you have?
Samuel: Yes.
21:10
Samuel walks through slum
Byrne: Samuel lives with his father in one of the most dangerous districts of this unsafe city. His mother has left home, his older brothers are in rival gangs.
Samuel likes portraits. His favourite face is his grandmothers.
21:27
Samuel in darkroom
Nancy: Theres a lot of pressure on the mums to take them out of school. If youve got a boy thats 15 and not working, and you got five other kids in the family, theres no role models so nobody really knows what education can do for someone.
22:01
Theyre just taking it all on faith and lots of times the pressure, theyll pull them out.
Byrne: Other mothers do have faith and see very clearly what Nancy is offering, beyond the photography lessons.
22:20
Mely
Like Evelyns mother, Mely.
Mely: I thought that this lady was like an angel for us, because she didnt come to ask for anything in return. She just came to help.
22:28
Byrne: Do you sometimes at night think, why us? Why our family?
Mely: Yes. I think we have been chosen from thousands of families. There are so many who wish for that blessing and its not possible. Thank God, He sent someone to choose us directly.
22:45
Byrne: Congratulations on your daughter.
Mely: Thank you very much. And thank you for your moral support. Its thanks to that support that our children are coming out of poverty.
23:23:25
Church graveyard
Music
Byrne: During her Reuters years, when civil war raged in Guatemala, Nancy McGirr covered a terrible massacre of civilians by the military. The victims are buried here, at this small memorial park.
23:29
Santiago de Atitlan
So when Nancy chose to extend her project to the countryside, this is where she chose -- Santiago de Atitlan, by the shores of the lake. For all its beauty, desperately poor.
A project funded by donation and photo sales, which started with three cameras in a rubbish dump, now has f six separate homes, including one in Honduras.
23:49
Nancy
Byrne: Does it seem astonishing to you?
Nancy: Yeah. (laughs) It seems astonishing. Yeah, its astonishing we got 150 kids now. Yeah I dont even want to think about it (laughs)
24:28
Children walk down road
Music
24:40
Byrne: This is the sixth and latest class of Fotokids -- eight of them, each proudly carrying their own camera. They live in and around this small village, a couple of hours drive from the capital. Their teacher a young woman who knows, exactly, what this chance means --Evelyn.
24:52
Evelyn outside shop
Evelyn: For many years I had this really big dream to give back to society, or to children, what I have been able to have when I was young -- when I needed it.
25:21
Evelyn with children
So I had the opportunity to do it through the children themselves. To teach them the little I have learnt during all these years, and what I am learning as I go along.
25:38
Girl
Byrne: What do you want to do when you grow up?
Girl: I want to be a doctor.
Byrne: And Marvin, what do you want to be? Do you want to take photos when you get older?
Marvin: I want to take photos, it helps me grow up. And when Im big I want to be a fireman.
25:58
Nancy teaching
Byrne: Nancy McGirr planned to spend 6 months teaching, then get back to her own high-flying career. That was 12 years ago. She hasnt taken a lot of photographs since then but she has touched a lot of lives.
Byrne: The classic western professional question whats in it for you?
26:20
Nancy
Nancy: I think whats in it for me is actually seeing them grow and blossom, you know, because not many teachers have a chance to do that.
26:44
Evelyn takes photos at dump
And seeing kids that were shy, really sort of taking their life in their hands and moving forward with it, and seeing them succeed, you know. Seeing Evelyn struggle-- everybody watching Evelyn studying and going to the university and then suddenly thinking, hey you know, if Evelyn can do it I could probably do it, too. You know I'm really happy for these guys. And theyve been a part of my life now for 12 years. So you want the best for them. So thats what keeps me going.
26:55
Credits
OUT OF THE DUMP
Reporter: Jennifer Byrne
Camera: Geoffrey Lye
Sound: Kate Graham
Editor: Simon Brynjolffssen
Producer: Vivien Altman