POSITIVE IMPACT OF WASTE MANAGEMENT PROJECT IN CEELASHA BIYAHA SUPPORTED BY CESVI.
For many years, waste management was a huge challenge for the residents of Ceelasha Biyaha in Afgoye district on the outskirts of Mogadishu. Household waste, including plastic, was poorly disposed of, causing health and environmental risks.
This is mainly due to poor infrastructure and a lack of knowledge on how to dispose of the waste.
But thanks to a community initiative supported by Cesvi and a local private partner called Africa Solutions, the residents can now safely dispose off their waste and even make money through a rewarding scheme that was purposely developed to encourage them.
A local cooperative named Iskaashatada Nadiifinta qashinka deegaanka Ceelasha (Ceelasha Biyaha waste management cooperative) was formed through a public-private cooperation initiative. It comprises of 20 members, with the primary task being waste collection and management.
“My neighbour encouraged me to join the project as one of the beneficiaries of the project two months ago,” said 63 years old Sadia Salad Ali.
“I have a big household comprising of 10 people. You can imagine the amount of waste we produce, and as a result, we have had challenges when it comes to waste management. We would spend hours every week gathering the waste and burning it, or digging holes to dispose of it,” She added.
“But all that has changed after my household was enlisted. Now all I do is to gather waste, sort it into plastic and non-plastic and wait for the waste collectors,” she said.
“The rubbish pits were a constant risk to our children as they used to fall into them, but now thanks to the waste collectors we are no longer worried.” She added
The management has come up with a scheme that allows households to accumulate points that would be turned into a voucher which they can use to buy stuff from specific shops.
“Residents are encouraged to sort plastic waste, which is then weighed, which earns them points,” said Issa Ali, one of the project managers.
Besides helping improve the environment, the initiative has also created job opportunities for the youth in the area.
“We have partnered with Africa Solutions- a local private company-and so far, we have employed at least 20 young people who collect the waste and recycle it. This has helped in improving the environment as well as encouraging many more households to join the cooperative,” he added.
It is also evident that the project has contributed to improvement in hygiene and health standards of the communities.
“Whenever it rains, the waste we have buried in shallow holes would wash up again. This has affected our health, especially our children who innocently pick up the waste,” said Sadia.
“But since this project was implemented, we have seen a reduction in the frequency in which our children got sick and as a result, we are saving on the monies we used to spend treating them” added Sadia
More than 1,400 households in Ceelasha Biyaha are directly benefiting from the project so far, and as it continues to become more popular, more homesteads are expected to join.
“Whenever it rains, the waste we have buried in shallow holes would wash up again. This has affected our health, especially our children who innocently pick up the waste,” said Sadia.
“But since this project was implemented, we have seen a reduction in the frequency in which our children got sick and as a result, we are saving on the monies we used to spend treating them” added Sadia
More than 1,400 households in Ceelasha Biyaha are directly benefiting from the project so far, and as it continues to become more popular, more homesteads are expected to join.
