Irene Souza Almeida is 56. She lives on collection and sale of cans and plastic bottles lying at the dump of Altamira.
"Today after i filled two large bags other collectors told me than another pile of garbage was better because it has more cans of aluminum. Trash that was brought from the city."
She is the mother of 8 children, all married. Her sons work on...
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Irene Souza Almeida is 56. She lives on collection and sale of cans and plastic bottles lying at the dump of Altamira.
"Today after i filled two large bags other collectors told me than another pile of garbage was better because it has more cans of aluminum. Trash that was brought from the city."
She is the mother of 8 children, all married. Her sons work on the cocoa plantation near the city. Her only daughter married and moved to a city not far from Altamira.
Irene is among the dozens of needy families what work with recyclable materials such as aluminum and plastic bottles that they find on old iron sites.
In March 2012 the Public Prosecutor's Office of the State "Para" conducted a survey regarding civil prosecution in the justice system for the provision of landfills.
These landfill-collectors show just one of the social difficulties due the dam. The CCBM (Belo Monte Building Consortium) has to overlook these problems and find solutions to it and improve the social situation of Altamiras habitants. According to social organizations that overview the construction nothing was done by CCBM. Also public hospitals are scraped and sewage runs open in the city center.
There are six women who survive the work at the dump. Irene Souza Almeida, Maria Nazare Lima, Maria Rita dos Santos Martins, Ivanilde, Cristiane and Leonedi.
From 7 o'clock in the morning these 6 women work until 13 hours collecting aluminum cans and plastic for money and to take home to keep. Irene left the spinning work after her husband died from alcoholism. Today she lives alone and pays rent thanks to the work at the dump.
Maria Nazare purchased land and is building her house with money from the landfill and works as a day laborer.
Dona Rita lives alone and survives just from the sale of aluminum and plastic.
Ivanilde also known as Vania, Cristiane and Leonedi lead to the home maintenance in the budget to help family because their fellows are farm workers and do not earn enough to pay rent, eat and keep their children in school. They receive the benefit of the Bolsa Familia that is a great help throughout the month. An income to poor families who live in a city that offers quality of life and welfare to enforce their enterprise.
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