Out of the Dump: Writings and Photographs by Children from Guatemala

Photographer McGirr's introductory note presents a sobering account of the plight of the hundreds of poor children in Guatemala City who spend days scavenging through the city's central garbage dump, searching for items to recycle or resell. In 1991, as she was photographing such children, she noticed that they were fascinated with her camera. With Konica Japan as corporate sponsor, McGirr launched the Out of the Dump project, which provides children with cameras, film, notebooks and shoes, encourages them to photograph their world and mandates that they attend school. Under Franklin's direction, the participants also began describing their lives in prose and poetry. While the quality of the writings reproduced here varies, the children's often impressively composed black-and-white photos convey uncanny insight. The hard-hitting pictures pay resonant tribute to the clearly worthwhile efforts of McGirr and Franklin. Proceeds from the book will benefit the Out of the Dump photography project. Ages 8-up. (Mar.)