Sunday 21st August, 2025
For many children in Guatemala, “home” is not a house, but a rubbish dump. Growing up surrounded by waste, smoke, and danger, childhood quickly becomes about survival. Each day is a battle against hunger, illness, and the stigma of being invisible to the broader world.
But when we reach out, without prejudice and without judgment, something changes. A smile, a hot meal, a safe place to learn and play: these small acts tell a child, “You matter. You are not forgotten. There is hope.”
Today in church, I was reminded of how we should strive to help and impact the lives of those we come into contact with. The challenge is to step out of our comfort zone and go to places where we can make the most significant impact
We have seen lives transformed when children discover that there is a future beyond the rubbish dump. With some support, they can attend school, build confidence, and dream of surpassing their circumstances.
I think of Danilo, who grew up on a rubbish dump in Guatemala and who is now serving at RockUK, a Christian outdoor centre in Kent, in the United Kingdom. You can´t get more of a transformation than that!
If we work together, we can turn despair into hope and help every child see themselves not through the lens of where they were born but through the light of the possibilities ahead.
Duncan Dyason is the founder and Director of Street Kids Direct and founder of TOYBOX, El Castillo, Guatemala and SKDGuatemala. He first started working with street children in 1992 when he moved to Guatemala City after watching the harrowing BBC documentary "They Shoot Children Don´t They?" His work has been honoured by Her Majesty the Queen, and he was awarded an MBE the year he celebrated working over 25 years to reduce the large population of children on the streets from 5,000 to zero. Duncan continues to live and work in Guatemala City.