Fostering Competitive Leadership in Waste Pickers' Organizations

Partnership
Initiative

Background

Roots for Sustainability - R4S, in Spain, has broad experience in the design, implementation and evaluation of transformation projects for companies, non-profit organisations and governments in the fields of organisational sustainability and inclusive business. Thanks to its experience in setting up social innovation programmes and supporting the formalisation of associations, the organisation lent its expertise and coordinated the Triangular Cooperation Initiative Creation of a Waste Pickers' Network in Bolivia, which was successfully implemented in the framework of the 2022 edition of the ADELANTE Window.

Based on this successful experience, R4S decided to leverage the knowledge generated in Bolivia and expand to the regional level, partnering with the Fundación Avina (Avina Foundation) in Chile, an organisation with extensive experience in collaborative processes that operates in more than 45 countries, focusing its work on three specific areas: democratic innovation, fair and regenerative economy, and climate action. Within these three areas, inclusive recycling has become a relevant topic through the constant support provided to the Red Latinoamericana de Recicladores (Latin American Network of Waste Pickers - Red LACRE), as well as through the promotion of projects at the national level in several Latin American and Caribbean countries. R4S and Fundación Avina have worked together on several projects in Latin America and the Caribbean to support the formalisation of waste pickers' associations in countries such as Bolivia, Colombia and Guatemala, among others.

In addition, R4S has also collaborated with Red LACRE on several projects, such as a socio-economic study of grassroots waste pickers in the Southern Cone, where Red LACRE played a key role in coordinating waste pickers' associations in several countries. Thanks to this previous experience and the relationship between Fundación AVINA and Red LACRE, a Triangular Cooperation Partnership was formed with the leading entity of Red LACRE, the Associação Nacional de Catadores e Catadoras de Materiais Recicláveis (National Association of Waste Pickers - ANCAT) in Brazil.

Entities and roles

Beneficiary entities

Associacao Nacional Dos Catadores e Catadoras de Materias Reciclaveis (ANCAT)

Brazil

First provider entities

Fundación Avina Chile

Chile

Second provider entities

Roots for Sustainability - R4S

Spain

Development challenges

In Latin America and the Caribbean, inadequate solid waste management continues to be a problem due to the lack of public policies and adequate infrastructure for waste treatment and final disposal, with a negative impact on the environment and health. Grassroots waste pickers are key to the solution to this challenge, as they have been recycling in informal conditions for decades, without public policies to support their work. It is therefore essential to strengthen their role in the transition towards a more sustainable model of production and consumption in the region.

Building on the experience of R4S in the creation of a Waste Pickers' Network in Bolivia, this Triangular Cooperation Partnership seeks to strengthen the Latin American Network of Waste Pickers through a comprehensive approach that addresses both coordination and communication between leaders and organisations in the region, as well as training and capacity building in leadership and management.

This Triangular Cooperation Initiative aims to share the knowledge of the Partnership entities to jointly develop tools to strengthen the leadership of waste pickers' organisations at the national and regional levels, promoting sustainable and inclusive public policies.

Triangular approach

The presence of Red LACRE (the LACRE Network) for more than a decade has facilitated capacity building and the involvement of grassroots recyclers in waste recovery and reuse systems at the national and regional levels. In order to continue supporting national grassroots waste pickers' movements, Red LACRE requires assistance in strengthening its national leadership and governance model.

Through the Partnership, Fundación Avina will lend its knowledge and experience in governance, participatory and democratic processes. The Foundation's proximity to and knowledge of the inclusive recycling sector will help adapt all of this expertise to the specific case of Red LACRE.

This experience will be enhanced by the contribution of R4S, which has broad expertise in projects to establish associations of grassroots waste pickers on an international scale, including the initiative 'Creating a Network of Waste Pickers in Bolivia'. This experience has provided the organisation with deeper insights into the waste pickers' movement in different countries, as well as their progress in the recycling value chain. Similarly, R4S aims to expand on its knowledge of inclusive recycling, and will have the opportunity to work together to promote a region-wide network of waste pickers; a milestone that will help advance its work in other regions.

Thanks to this Initiative, ANCAT, as the coordinating entity of Red LACRE, hopes to strengthen its management capacities, fostering coordination and networking among grassroots waste pickers' organisations in the region. This capacity building will be carried out alongside the systematisation of the decision-making and governance model, which will facilitate its implementation and ownership by all the member entities of Red LACRE.

Sectoral approach - Contribution to the 2030 Agenda

Primary SDG

Goal 10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status

Goal 10.3 Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and action in this regard

Secondary SDG

Goal 8.5 By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value

Goal 8.8 Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment

ADELANTE SDG

Goal 10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status

Goal 17.17 Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships

Territorial approach

Intervention methodology

The work plan for this Initiative is based on four activities that aim to strengthen ties between waste pickers' organisations in different countries, identify common challenges and opportunities, and design joint capacity-building and strengthening strategies to improve their leadership. These will be reflected in a decision-making and governance model that can be applied both at the regional level in Red LACRE and at the national level in each of the national associations.

The Initiative will kick off with a study visit to Brazil, with the participation of nine international delegations of waste pickers. The visit will focus on laying the foundations to develop the Initiative's products, through a mapping of the needs and challenges of Red LACRE. Throughout the visit, meetings will be held with Brazilian ministers and public entities, as well as a visit to a recycling plant in Brasilia.

The second activity is a seminar to be held in Brazil, which will coincide with the 'Expo Catadores', the largest gathering of waste pickers in the region. This activity, in which representatives of each member entity of Red LACRE will participate, has the main objective of strengthening ANCAT in its role as secretariat within Red LACRE, and to enhance coordination and networking among grassroots waste pickers' organisations in the region.

The third activity is a series of four virtual workshops that aim to gather insights from the face-to-face meetings, as well as promote coordination and networking among the waste pickers' organisations comprising Red LACRE.

The fourth and final activity will be a seminar held in Chile, where the insights and outcomes of the Initiative will be assessed, including Red LACRE's governance and decision-making manual. In addition, opportunities will be created for joint decision-making on the future of Red LACRE, including the possibility of granting it legal personality. This last meeting will provide a suitable platform to share the results of the Initiative with all relevant recycling stakeholders in the region.

Direct beneficiaries (individuals)

According to Rule 9 of the Guidelines for Applicants: all persons participating in the activities of the Initiative.

This Initiative aims to reach more than 300 direct beneficiaries who belong, on the one hand, to the national networks of waste pickers who are part of Red LACRE and who will participate in the Initiative's face-to-face meetings and virtual workshops. On the other hand, individuals affiliated with the Partnership member entities will also benefit from sharing their knowledge and contributing to the creation of the governance and decision-making model of Red LACRE.

Budget

EU contribution: 127,500.00 €

Co-financing - Triangular Cooperation Partnership: 44,450.00 €

Total budget: 171,950.00 €

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