Association de Femmes Recuperatrices du Benin (AFRB)
Cotonou, Benin
Primary information
- Year formed
- 1997
- Registered in
- 2000
- Language
- French
- Number of members
- 1,000
- Type of members
- Members are waste pickers
- Occupation of members
- Waste pickers
- Type of Organization
- Association
- Organizational Reach
- Local
- Workplace of members
- Door to door, Dumpsite, Street
- Organization Structure
- General assembly, Permanent Bureau, General membership. Office bearers are elected in a General Assembly while Constitutional meetings are held monthly, quarterly and annually.
- Objectives
- Recycling, recognition of waste pickers, social and economic empowerment of waste pickers, improve waste picker living conditions, improve waste picker working conditions, contribute to cleaning the environment, strengthen unity and cohesion amongst waste pickers,
- Education and training
- Literacy & school
- Partnering organizations
- OXFAM Quebec
- Funding
- Self funded
- Internal elections
- Every 3 years
- Women composition
- 100,0%
Social networking sites
Benefits
- Member benefits
- Education programmes, Health care & insurance, Id cards, Job creation & source of income, Occupational health & safety
Services
- How is the relationship with the municipality?
- Poor and/or non existent
- Types of materials
- Glass, Household items, Plastics
- Are they selling to middlemen?
- No
- Challenges to access waste
- Lack of education & training, Lack of recognition, Lack of unity between organizations, Transportation
Complementary Information
- Information source
- WORD 26/06/2013, Africa 2012, Africa 2013
Comments / Narrative
Dantokpa market is one of the largest markets in West Africa. It covers 24 hectares in the centre of Cotonou and some 25000 people work there. The stall holders mainly women trade all kind of items including textiles, electronics, goods, households, jewellry etc. Women waste pickers trade their recyclables in the above international market and have their meeting place there. Long term plan includes strengthening the organization and generate actions and strategies to value the profession and also build a network with other waste picker organizations nationally and internationally and share information, knowledge and skills and be able to negotiate with government to prioritize waste pickers in the waste management system.