Among the mounds of trash on the outskirts of Mexico City, thousands of people live and work. One organization called Hope of the Poor is dedicated to helping these people in their day to day needs.
CRAIG JOHRING
Founder, Hope of the Poor
We want to take a look at what the people really want. What are the poor hoping for? I mean the poor, they want to be treated with respect, with dignity. They're always hungry. The poor always need food. But I think more than anything else, the poor want to go to Heaven.
But what we do, we show up in their lives and we always bring food. And we bring hugs and just treat people with love and respect.
Johring says that Hope of the Poor is the only organization that has weekly access to one of the city dumps. It serves 1,000 people who live or work there. Their goal is not simply to provide people help for the day, but rather, hope for the future.
CRAIG JOHRING
Founder, Hope of the Poor
What we really try to do at the dump is to invest in the next generation by sending the kids to school, making sure they've got whatever they need for school to go to school.
Typically we send about 70 or 80 kids a year to school that either live or their parents work in the dump. And that's the hope. So the kids will go to school. They'll get jobs and then they'll be able to support their parents to leave the dump.
Each year, young people from the United States volunteer with the organization to serve in the dump. In these mission trips, many students encounter the poor for the first time.
RAMIRO GOMEZ
Director Assistant, Hope of the Poor
It opens your eyes to a reality that is there, that has always been there, but that was at a certain distance. So, what is done through this apostolate is to give you the opportunity to see up close the reality, the hardship of so many people, the suffering of so many people, to understand their history, even to understand the similarity between one and the other. Sometimes, we believe that we live in a world apart, but they have the same dreams, the same longings.
Since it was founded in 2016, Hope of the Poor has served 10,000 people in the dumps and streets of Mexico City. But their mission is far from over as they will continue to help others radically encounter the poor.
KG
