Bengaluru, November 26, 2020: To improve and support the life of informal waste pickers and their families in Bengaluru, BBC Media Action, CARE, Hasiru Dala, LabourNet, Save the Children, Social Alpha, WaterAid and The/Nudge Foundation have joined forces to launch a programme called Saamuhika Shakti. Sweden based H&M Foundation has committed Rs 81 Crore ($11 million) for the first three years of the project, with scope for expanding it by three additional years.
The vision of the project is to enable waste pickers to have greater agency to lead secure and dignified lives. Saamuhika Shakti follows the Collective Impact approach which is a commitment of a group of different actors to work together in a structured manner for a common agenda, and to solve a specific social problem at scale.
"H&M Foundation has always wanted to take a systems change mindset in how we work and we believe that change is best achieved when a diverse group of people join forces and commit to a common agenda to solve complex challenges. By bringing together all these fantastic partners to work towards the same goal, we are confident that we can achieve more and contribute to creating long-term positive change," said Maria Bystedt, Strategy Lead at H&M Foundation.
The H&M Foundation is an independent non-profit global foundation headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. It is privately funded by the Stefan Persson family, founders and main owners of the H&M group.
During the first three years of the project, Saamuhika Shakti will tailor interventions to attain six key outcomes to help waste pickers and their families have:
- Higher and more stable income
- Improved and safer working conditions
- Ability to move to alternate professionals if they so desire
- Access to affordable and quality services from the public and private sector
- Established support systems for victims of violence and substance abuse
- More respect and recognition for their work from the residents of Bengaluru, and deeper appreciation and pride in the important role they play in the waste value chain
Vikas Gora, Deputy Director, South India, Save the Children said, "The challenges faced by the waste picker communities including children are manifold. It is high time for us to come together as expert organisations to address various issues holistically".
Gender equity and equitable access for women, girl child and other vulnerable groups forms a core component of the Saamuhika Shakti project. All partners are committed to ensure vulnerable and disadvantaged persons have equitable access to programs and services that can lead to improved living conditions.
Co-Founder and Executive Director of Hasiru Dala, Nalini Shekhar said, "Hasiru Dala believes that in six to eight years, waste pickers will not be picking waste on the streets in the way that they do today. Children of waste pickers will have the opportunity to choose their livelihoods. We hope that Saamuhika Shakti will accelerate this process."
Primary and secondary research conducted prior to the Saamuhika Shakti program design revealed there are at least 22,500 waste pickers in the city made up of informal street waste collectors, sorters in DWCCs and scrap shops and itinerant waste buyers who go from house to house purchasing dry waste of low and high value. These informal waste pickers belong to disadvantaged castes and minority groups, have low education levels and are from within Karnataka and outside. Though informal waste pickers are a vital part of the waste management system in Bengaluru and contribute in significant measure economically and environmentally, they struggle to lead a healthy, productive and dignified life.
"Spread across the BBMP geographical areas, waste pickers form clusters of communities often without even basic access to resources such as clean water or sanitation facilities, let alone opportunities to improve livelihoods and that of their children. Through Saamuhika Shakti, our partners and we hope to provide prospects that can lead to better outcomes, and in an equitable manner for waste pickers and their families," said Lakshmi Pattabi Raman, Executive Director of Saamuhika Shakti, The/Nudge Foundation.
The ongoing pandemic and the many changes it has necessitated have wrought extreme hardship on the already marginalised, including the waster picker community here in Bengaluru. Work, income streams and working conditions have been severely impacted as have the avenues available to their children and families to explore pathways to better life opportunities. Spread across the Bengaluru urban and rural landscape, the need to provide access and support has become more urgent than before.
"We believe that there is a need to change the way the people of Bengaluru think and feel about waste pickers. We want our work to help people travel a journey - from waste pickers being invisible, to being recognised as doing important, skilled work that contributes to society and the environment." said Priyanka Dutt, Country Director, BBC Media Action India
Talking about the partnership, Nabesh Bohidar, Regional Program Manager of South Hub, CARE India, said, "CARE India stands firmly behind Saamuhika Shakti as a committed partner to enhance the Dignity of the Waste Pickers. CARE India will focus on enhancing the life choices and livelihoods of the waste pickers and their families. CARE India seeks to multiply impact on the lives of the Waste Pickers by working in close coordination with partners and stakeholders."
