FARMINGTON – The stories of the 2,500 families who live, work and support themselves in a huge dump in Guatemala City are depicted in a documentary to be shown at the University of Maine at Farmington next week.

“A Recycled Life” is being sponsored by the Farmington Rotary Club and the UMF Rotaract Club, rotarian and club adviser Al Feather said Wednesday. The Oscar-nominated film will be screened at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 30, in Thomas Auditorium of Preble Hall.

Afterward, a discussion will be led by Farmington rotarians, Rotary District Gov. Douglas Ibarguen and Feather. Deborah Walters of Safe Passage will also answer questions about her experiences there, he said.

Safe Passage is a nonprofit Maine corporation founded by Hanley Denning of Yarmouth, who was killed last year in Guatemala in an automobile accident. The organization is not a school, Feather said, but provides uniforms, tutoring and meals to reinforce and help children of the dump succeed in school.

A dozen area Rotarians, friends and family spent a week in Guatemala City in mid-February working with the children from the dump, helping teach math and English, he said. Another group is going in October, he said.

“The documentary is awesome. It shows and interviews individuals from the dump whom you follow through the film. It will be followed by a video on Denning,” he said.

The 20-mile-long garbage dump has become a home to generations, Feather said. For more than 60 years, people known as “guajeros” have left the fields heading to the city looking for help. With no public services and only help from the Catholic church available, the people have settled at the dump, he said. The guajeros jump into the trash as soon as trucks dump it, he added. They look for food and clothing and make some money by collecting returnable water bottles, glass or pieces of cardboard that can be redeemed with recyclers at the dump, he said.

Ten percent of the dump children attend the Safe Passage educational reinforcement program. Families are given food if the children attend regularly, he added.

After spending half a day in private schools, the children spend another half day at Safe Passage where they are given more instruction and perhaps the only meal they will have that day, he said.

The clubs hope to fill the auditorium for the free showing that is open to the public. Guatemalan crafts will be available for sale and donations will be accepted.

Rotaract has about 12 active students and is connected to the Farmington rotarians helping with their activities, he said. Some projects this year included providing two octagon picnic tables for the H.G. Mallett School in Farmington and holding a giving tree for Operation Santa Claus.