Children of the Dump Puerto Vallarta

Every child deserves a healthy life, a healthy mind and an opportunity for a better future.

In 1998 more than 200 families lived and worked in the Puerto Vallarta municipal dump, a towering garbage heap in one of the poorest neighborhoods. These families had no access to running water or sanitation and worst of all; the children did not attend school. Instead they spent their days with their families foraging through the garbage for useful items to sell to support their meager existence.

Ten years later, thanks to the efforts of organizations like Children of the Dump and its partner, Perdon Y Amistad, things have changed for the children. There are no more families living in the dump and while many of them still live in shanties made of found materials, most of the children are able to attend school on at least a semi-regular basis.

In Puerto Vallarta, many children will not receive even a 6th grade education; by some estimations, as many as 70% of children will not finish secondary school. It is the goal of Children of the Dump to change that.

Children of the Dump has three programs dedicated to helping the children of Puerto Vallarta’s poorest communities gain the education that they need to bring themselves and their families out of poverty. With knowledge in the areas of English, math and computers, these children can secure jobs in the lucrative tourism industry and pursue secondary education to become Puerto Vallarta’s next doctors, lawyers, and business owners. These children are Puerto Vallarta’s future.

We offer tours of our facilities and programs every Tuesday and Thursday at approximately 3 pm. The tours last abut 2 hours. We visit a day care center, the dump, the School of Champions and a Hot Meals program. You can help feed and interact with the children in these programs. For reservations and pick up at local hotels please call 044 322 158-8815 or 322 223-4311.