Manila's Smokey Mountain

In the Tondo neighborhood, across the Manila harbor, lays one of the world's poorest slums, an embarrassment to the government of the Philippines and a major symbol of global poverty. The Smokey Mountain is a 40-year-old mountain of garbage and a home to 15,000 squatters who make a living by sifting through the refuse. The locals literally live off it - they search it, burn it, separate it in plastic bags, recycle it, sell it to junk shops, even eat some of the remains. Some of the locals set up food stalls at the harbor, some are 'cargadores' (porters), some are rickshaw drivers, but most live off the garbage. These photographs, taken in 2007, intend to portray the living condition of an estimated 30,000 people in the area surrounding the mountain.

Want to link to this gallery?
Flash Slideshow:

Tondo neighborh… Tondo neighborh… Tondo neighborh… Tondo neighborh… Tondo neighborh… Tondo neighborh… Tondo neighborh… Tondo neighborh… Tondo neighborh… Tondo neighborh…

Keywords philippines, manila, tondo, southeast asia, slum, shanty houses, poverty, smokey mountain, people, paulo nunes dos santos