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

Region

Country Brazil

January 28, 2016


This article is part of the series “Scenes from the Heart of Recycling”.

In May 2015, a workshop on communication and leadership skills with women waste pickers took place as part of the Gender & Waste Project in a partnership of WIEGO/MNCR with the International Coaching Federation (ICF).

The ICF carried out a voluntary three-hour workshop with 70 women waste picker leaders from the state of Minas Gerais who belong to the Cataunidos, Redesol and Catavale networks. The overall objective of the workshop was to discuss women’s leadership roles in their cooperatives and encourage women to pinpoint their own leadership abilities and weaknesses, in order to think of more effective ways to manage their cooperatives. Among the topics addressed included what it means to be a leader, how to communicate effectively and the relationship between being a good leader and communicating effectively.

The women who participated felt the workshop was particularly useful because it used practical examples of the very challenges they face on a daily basis. After the workshop, 10 women leaders were chosen to have follow-up individual coaching sessions to target their individual needs and interests.

The video with Ivaneide Souza, Redesol’s leader, highlights how the workshop was beneficial and innovative.

ivaneida-souza-redesol