That’s a Bunch of Garbage!

That’s how the old saying goes. But for thousands of people in Medellin, that bunch of garbage is home.

In the Moravia neighborhood of Medellin, there are thousands of inhabitants literally living atop a mountain of garbage.

“El Morro” Municipal Garbage Dump

In 1977, the “El Morro” garbage dump was established to service Medellin. The dump is located in the Moravia neighborhood located in the northeastern zone of the city. The site was used to dump garbage from 1977 to 1984.

During this period of time there was conflict involving guerrilla groups, paramilitary groups and drug cartels. These conflicts forced many people living in the impacted rural areas to move to Medellin hoping to seek security and opportunities for a better life. They had little or no money or possessions. Finding housing and employment was difficult at best. The migrants began to build “informal” housing at the garbage dump. The inhabitants survived and built their homes through the recycling of waste materials.

Over time, the area grew into a community. The city was concerned about the smells and the toxicity of the land so in 1984 the garbage dump was moved to prevent future development of the area. However, the neighborhood continued to grow and had become an established community.

The Hill of Garbage, Moravia 2003 (Source: Universidad Nacional de Colombia, 2001)

Transformation

In 2003, the mayor of Medellin declared the situation in Morro de Moravia a “Public Disaster”. Shortly after, the government began an initiative to “transform” the community into a public space. In the early stages of the initiative, the government provided free housing and relocated people off the hill. However, many people to this day refuse the free housing and have chosen to remain in the community because it is the only life they know.

With the involvement of the community, the Morro de Moravia has been transformed. It remains a community but now with plumbing, electricity, roads, sewage system and security. At the top of the hill, there is a greenhouse where locals plant and harvest flowers. Flowers and plants now cover much of the landscape of the hill.

Morro de Moravia Today

Green House Atop the Hill

Tour

We participated in a walking tour of the neighborhood. As we walked, we could see how proud the people are of what they accomplished and the success of the transformation. People were friendly and outgoing.

People grow their own fruits and vegetables to sell within the neighborhood. However, they are not allowed to sell outside of the neighborhood due to the potential health hazards. They have set up shops, restaurants and stores to service their own community. There is no laundromat in the neighborhood, so an entrepreneur straps a washing machine to his motorcycle and brings it to the residents of the neighborhood. He then sets up the washing machine in their apartment to allow the resident to wash their clothes. I wonder if he has a punch card for frequent customers?

“Have Washing Machine, Will Travel”

There is now a community center in the heart of the neighborhood for classes, social events and activities. Anyone can volunteer to teach classes on a wide variety of topics.

For years Moravia was a neighborhood where no one wanted to live.  Now it is a garden where flowers are grown and where the lives of the residents are improving.

I write this blog post with conflicted feelings because touring an impoverished neighborhood feels a bit like “poverty tourism.”  However, our guide assured us that the leaders of the community are paid by the tour company and during the tour we purchased food and drink from the local shops, so we supported the residents in a small way.  But, I know that the poverty of Monrovia will not disappear overnight and will not be erased by flowers.

There is more to be done in this neighborhood and others throughout Medellin.  The government of Medellin and Colombia are committed to transform this city for its people.  The improvement efforts are different from the approach that would be taken in the United States; however the effort seems to be working for the people of Medellin.