Mazingira ni Afya

 

It all started with formation of our team ‘’Believers’’ made up of four different nationalities (Kenya, Zambia, Italy, Finland). As a group we had a task of identifying a problem and provide the best solution to it, that’s how we ended up in the waste management project in Nairobi-Kenya specifically in the slums of Dandora.

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We decided to do the waste management project in Dandora simply because it is the largest dump site in Africa and by tackling this problem it will save many lives of the natives in the slum. After carrying out background check on Dandora and undertaking series of research and consultation we found out the following to be the key problems to be solved

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1.Providing conducive working environment for people working on the dumpsite

2.Provide stable income for the trash pickers

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At first we had focused on providing health environment to the people of Dandora, but after contacting the people working at the dumpsite they told us their priority is to have stable income and conducive working environment. We had to go back to the drawing board to change our business model to be able to accommodate what they really needed to be solved and thus we adopted a new business model.

We also learned from our research that there a good number of middle men, cartels, already established NGO’s and other small businesses at the dumpsite. They have been operating at the dumpsite for a long time now, so we decided to do it in a different way not to interfere with their operations that’s why we started offering protective gears to the trash pickers which is a new platform to the locals and it has a number of benefits while using our products to those who need the new approach for example extra income earned from not contracting disease. This could otherwise be used for medication. Increase in productivity, long working hours, gender equality among others will be addressed by using our carts, gloves, gum boots, lights and gas mask/ protective masks.

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Our main focus is to acquire the right resources needed to start out the business of leasing safety equipment to the trash pickers at Dandora at an affordable price on a daily basis. The main reason to be in the business is to provide descent and stable income to the trash pickers and also provide conducive working environment also down the line we will help to bridge the gap for demand of waste materials by the recycling companies.

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With our current business model, we will be able to touch the lives of those trash pickers in a number of areas, with the income they are able to provide their families with meals, send their children back to school, money spent on medication can be used for other purposes and that’s what we aim to achieve.

 

More information about our Big Idea.