window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); var referrer = document.referrer || null; gtag('config', 'UA-134421541-1', {'page_referrer':referrer}); gtag('config', 'AW-881718564'); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start': new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src= 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f); })(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-N95GH54'); gtag('event', 'conversion', { 'send_to': 'AW-881718564/AgGICPbV8rABEKTqt6QD', 'transaction_id': '' });

Reel Causes’ AGM with Global Solidarity

February 26, 2017
Doors: 2:00 PM | AGM 2:30 PM | Show Time: 3:00 PM
Djavad Mowafaghian Theatre, SFU Woodward’s Location: 149 West Hastings

In the wake of the 1998 Hurricane Mitch, thousands of people were temporarily located to live on the margins of the city of Chinandega, Nicaragua in what is locally known as the ‘circle of death,’ living between the dump, a cemetery and a sewerage plant.

In the wake of the 1998 Hurricane Mitch, thousands of people were temporarily located to live on the margins of the city of Chinandega, Nicaragua in what is locally known as the ‘circle of death,’ living between the dump, a cemetery and a sewerage plant. More than two decades have passed and the community of ‘El Limonal’ remains at the dump, and intends to stay.

Warren FitzGerald and Kamloops resident Jess Rothenburger met in 2009 when Warren was researching his debut novel The Go-Away Bird in Rwanda, volunteering with a group led by Jess. Since then they have travelled the world together, always looking for a way to get a more authentic experience of what it means to live in a developing nation and to truly consult local people about what they want- if anything- from outside help.

Charitable projects have been set up in an effort to help improve the health care and education of people living there, but when Warren and Jess first volunteered here they realised in order to truly help the community they had to first find out what the people themselves thought they needed.

So they went to live and work with the locals, scavenging for recyclables in the garbage, and it was just the start of a journey of connections, joy, tears and illness that would lead them to question the very meaning of wealth and poverty. Not only would they learn about surviving from a dump, but also about the endurance of the human spirit and the preserving of dignity.

Gringos in the Garbage is the film they made about this experience, 25% of any profit from which goes directly to the community of El Limonal to help their own development.

Image Description

Donations made at the AGM screening of Gringos in the Garbage will be donated to The Global Solidarity Group, the non-profit organization which was formed as a vehicle to direct money to the community (El Limonnal) featured in the film.

Image Description

Reel Causes partners with filmmakers and Canadian causes dedicated to addressing global social justice issues. We host film screenings followed by a Q&A session to educate and inspire our community, and provide a forum for authentic conversation around the issues that affect us locally.

City of Vancouver
BC Arts Council
Canada Council for the Arts
SFU's Vancity Office of Community  Engagement
Consumer Protection BC