INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE OF WASTE PICKERS

The International Alliance of Waste Pickers is a union of waste picker organizations representing more than 460,000 workers across 34 countries
Supported by Logo WIEGO

Woman waste picker in DRC. Photo credit: NGO LDFC.

Waste picker in DRC. Photo credit: NGO Ligue pour le Droit de la Femme Congolaise.

The second round of a workshop to support waste pickers organizing in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, was held in January of 2013. The Congolese Women’s Right League, a StreetNet affiliate, with support from WIEGO, organized an event that brought together 30 waste picker delegates from Bandundu, Bas Congo and Kinshasa.

Waste pickers' meeting in the DRC. Photo credit: NGO LDFC.

Waste pickers meeting in the DRC. Photo credit: NGO Ligue pour le Droit de la Femme Congolaise.

This process started in November 2012, when for the first time, waste pickers came together to discuss the problems they were facing, and training workshops about constituency and organizing procedures were held. In this second round of training, Kapita Tuwizana, an Africa-based organizer from WIEGO, came from South Africa to run a workshop focusing on strengthening the negotiation capacities of the organization vis-a-vis municipal governments.

Woman waste picker in DRC. Photo credit: NGO LDFC.

Waste pickers at a workshop in the DRC. Photo credit: NGO Ligue pour le Droit de la Femme Congolaise.