Safe Passage was started in 1999 by Yarmouth native and Bowdoin graduate, Hanley Denning, on the premise that education can both create opportunity and foster a sense of self-worth and dignity in the poorest at-risk children of families working in the Guatemala City garbage dump. The program started in an empty church near the dump with 40 kids. Today, financed principally through charitable donations, Safe Passage has moved from the church to a small, enclosed campus that provides a safe, caring environment for over 550 children, ages 18 months to 16 years, who now participate in the educational, health and vocational programs the organization offers.

To learn more, visit their website (www.safepassage.org) or contact their local office on Bridge St. in Yarmouth at 207-846-1188.