Waste collectors are among those that do not have the luxury of working from home. Every day, they go from door to door doing the essential work of waste collection. In Ethiopia, these waste workers do not have, if at all, sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE). This makes them and their families vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic.
NatuReS Ethiopia provided personal protective equipment (PPE) to waste collectors in Addis Ababa and Hawassa to support safe waste collection during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three trainings on safe waste collection and proper use of PPE were also provided to waste collectors. Because women have less access to information than men, one of the trainings was targeted exclusively at women. 250 women collectors participated.
NatuReS effort to support safe waste collection during this pandemic didn’t go unnoticed. NatuReS was acknowledged during the world clean-up day event, receiving a certificate of appreciation from the Mayor of Addis Ababa.