Waste collectors are critical in a circular economy, yet are among the most marginalized people. Many are women and children living at the fringes of society, unable to access health care and education. Yet they play a vital role in their communities by removing waste and keeping materials out of the environment. They aren't equipped to be on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. We ask for your help to support their immediate needs while advancing better future conditions.
Densely populated areas, such as slums in India, townships in Africa, and Brazilian communities are greatly impacted by COVID-19, with limited hygiene access to prevent disease. An estimated 15 million waste pickers remove 15-20% of the world's metropolitan waste, a vital service. Without these hard workers, cities would be less healthy and the environment more polluted. We need them. Now they need our support during this crisis with necessities today while improving their lives for the future.
Your donation goes to support this waste collector community around the world through trusted organizations working with them to assess needs. Here are a few examples of where the donations are needed: personal protective equipment, such as masks and gloves; food, due to lost income caused by social distancing measures; Isolation units for those infected with COVID-19; pop-up clinics; and support to build capacity for informal worker organizations, meet advocacy needs, and provide education.
Over the longer term, donations will be used to help these communities build their overall resilience. There are broader needs beyond COVID-19 to improve working conditions, address poor housing situations, and build capacity among workers.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
When a disaster strikes, recovery efforts led by people who live and work in affected communities are often overlooked and underfunded. GlobalGiving is changing this reality. Since 2004, we've been shifting decision-making power to crises-affected communities through trust-based grantmaking and support.
We make it easy, quick, and safe to support people on the ground who understand needs in their communities better than anyone else.
They were there long before the news cameras arrived, and they’ll be there long after the cameras leave. They know how to make their communities more resilient to future disasters, and they’re already hard at work. GlobalGiving puts donations and grants directly into their hands. Because the status quo—which gives the vast majority of funding to a few large organizations—doesn’t make sense.
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