Title

Dignifying Lives: Inclusive approach for socio-economic empowerment of informal waste and sanitation workers

The project demonstrates multi stakeholders engaged participatory and collaborative approach for improving waste management system and extending services to slum dwellers and low income urban communities by municipalities and city corporation. The project aims to strengthen the capacity of municipalities, recycling enterprises, civil society organisations for facilitating the realisation of labour rights of informal waste and sanitation workers for decent working environment, living wages and social inclusion.

Duration

From 1/1/2018  to 31/12/2020  (36 months)

Budget

Total cost: EUR 1,171,900 ;   EU Contribution: EUR 1,054,710  

Locations

Barguna Municipality, Bagerhat Municipality, Gazipur City Corporation and Faridpur Municipality

Implementing Organizations

1. PRACTICAL ACTION LBG (Lead partner)

2. KARMOJIBI NARI

3. MUNICIPAL ASSOCIATION OF BANGLADESH

Objectives, Outputs and Outcome

Overall Objective: To contribute to participatory inclusive urban governance in which informal waste and sanitation workers are socially and economically empowered for delivering equitable and integrated services.

Specific Objective: To strengthen the capacity of municipalities, recycling enterprises, civil society organisations for facilitating the realisation of labour rights of informal waste and sanitation workers for decent working environment, living wages and social inclusion.

Expected Results:

• ER1: Increased knowledge, skill and capacity of 36 organisations of waste and sanitation workers to organize and negotiate with municipalities, public and private stakeholders for realisation of decent working conditions.
• ER2: Increased capacity for informal waste and sanitation worker led inclusive sanitation and waste management planning, innovative business modelling, budgeting and facilitation of strategic partnerships, by municipalities together with key stakeholders representing low income groups and sanitation and waste workers;
• ER3: Business Association of waste recycling companies and their supply chain are sensitized and capacitated to introduce, scale-up corporate social responsibility and contribute to policies for realizing the social, economic rights of informal waste and sanitation workers;
• ER4: Empower informal workers to work with various local, national and international civil society platforms to advocate and generate, share evidence for ensuring social and economic rights of the informal workers and scale up inclusive models.

Target group(s)

The action will help to mobilize and form 36 cooperatives targeting the following types of informal waste and sanitation workers:

• Waste collectors who collect kitchen wastes from houses and dustbins and transfer it for disposal to dumpsite,
• Inorganic waste value chain actors such as waste pickers who collect inorganic wastes from dustbins and informal waste traders who collect scrap from houses,
• Pit emptiers who collect and dispose of sludge from tanks/pits of toilets, and
• Cleaners/ sweepers mostly female who sweep streets.

Final beneficiaries

400,000 low income informal workers through increased productivity and inclusive growth of waste recycling sector;