Donate to CFEC to Uplift Female Waste Pickers as Environmental Leaders in Tanzania

We work at the intersection of climate justice, community resilience, and women’s empowerment, offering environmental education, advocacy, and skill-building in underserved communities. A key focus of our work is supporting female waste pickers—a marginalized yet vital group contributing to the circular economy and environmental sustainability in Tanzania.

We are raising $10,000 to expand our work in Dar es Salaam, supporting over 500 women waste pickers through health and safety training, personal protective equipment (PPE), and the construction of safe waste segregation points.

The Challenges

Behind every clean street in Dar es Salaam is a woman—bending over piles of refuse, sorting recyclables by hand, breathing in toxic fumes—all without gloves, masks, or recognition.

Female waste pickers are critical actors in Tanzania’s informal recycling sector. Yet they work in highly unsafe conditions:

• No PPE, leading to constant exposure to disease and injury

• No formal workspaces, forcing them to operate from dumpsites

• No training, limiting income and reinforcing cycles of poverty

• Little public awareness, keeping their contributions invisible and undervalued

Despite having supported over 150 women through previous programs, CFEC currently lacks the funding to scale and sustain this important work.

We must do more. With your support, we can reach hundreds more women and give them the tools, training, and recognition they deserve.

Why It Matters

This project is about more than safety gear—it’s about dignity, empowerment, and environmental justice.

Waste pickers, especially women, are frontline environmental defenders. They recover plastic, reduce landfill overflow, and contribute to circular economies. But their work is overlooked, underpaid, and hazardous.

Your donation will:

• Improve health and reduce risk for women who face injury, illness, and even death while cleaning up our communities

• Elevate their income potential through entrepreneurship training

• Restore dignity and respect by creating safe, organized working environments

• Shift public perception, recognizing female waste pickers as leaders in sustainability—not victims of circumstance

By investing in them, we uplift not just individuals, but entire communities—and help build a cleaner, fairer Tanzania for all.

The Solution

Our goal is to raise $10,000 and your donation will directly fund the training, gear, construction, and support needed to transform lives and advance climate action through community-led solutions. This initiative will deliver a comprehensive support package for 500+ female waste pickers working in Dar es Salaam. Here’s how your contribution will be used:

1. Entrepreneurship & Health Training

• Train women to develop small-scale businesses, diversifying their income

• Deliver health and safety education specific to waste work, including first aid and hygiene practices

2. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

• Distribute gloves, boots, reflective vests, masks, and sanitation supplies to minimize health risks

• Promote pride and professionalism in their work

3. Construct Waste Segregation Points

• Build modern, safe, and well-organized structures for waste sorting and storage

• Reduce reliance on dangerous dumpsites and improve waste management practices

4. Ongoing Support & Monitoring

• Regular check-ins with beneficiaries for impact tracking

• Community engagement events to foster public support

5. Sustainability and Growth

• Allocate 10% of funds to CFEC’s operational costs, helping us maintain continuity, expand reach, and secure future partnerships

Thank you for believing in a future where women are not just cleaning our cities—but leading them toward sustainability. Your support gives waste pickers the safety, tools, and respect they deserve. Together, we are turning survival into strength, and waste into opportunity.

Sincerely,

The CFEC Team