Waste pickers from Vijayawada who are in need of a sewing class

Main occupation of these people is waste picking. They collect recyclable waste from dump yards and garbages,  segrate them and sell them for money.  By selling they earn up to an average of 50 to 60 rupees per day.  Although it is done by adults majority of children also continue in the same profession.

A lot of garbage is cleaned informally by the rag pickers in urban areas of India who work without any proper wages, dignity and job security. Not only that they are exposed to harmful substances, infections, respiratory diseases apart for poverty, humiliation and abuse on the streets.

Collecting waste is a difficult and harmful job. They are exposed to cuts and infections. Rotten food makes them sick. They want to live in a clean space with some respect in the society and they could give their children a better education.

When some of our local partners of Shoshana came across these slums, some of the women expressed their interest in learning stitching for a living. Many of them lost work and also scared of collecting waste during the Covid situation. There is no other alternate work source for them besides collecting waste.

 

From Shoshana we want to offer them a free sewing class to some of the women who are interested.

Here are a few pics from their daily life.