WIEGO Blog

Por Carlin Carr

Par Carlin Carr

The deadly factory fire at Rana Plaza five years ago this week sparked global outrage about workers’ safety. The incident in Bangladesh prompted discussion on national and international levels. But it is not just at these levels that health and safety can be addressed.

Brazil has been a global trailblazer when it comes to integrating waste pickers in solid waste management systems. But its progressive policies didn’t happen overnight. In fact, a highly coordinated communications effort in the small, southeastern city of Belo Horizonte supported the awakening of a national movement. From song and dance in the streets to widespread signage to talks in schools, the Belo Horizonte Sanitation Agency turned their public awareness campaign into a priority – and an art form in itself.

 By Carlin Carr

At a bustling Bangkok market, vendor Aurapin Sakvichit happily greets customers interested in her wares: pink dresses, designer-style tops, and colourful cotton bags. Aurapin knows the routine; she’s been at it for decades.

She says she enjoys everything she does with her work, despite its challenges. “I love crafting. It doesn’t matter how much I earn.”

That’s an attitude that’s changed since her children have grown up and she doesn’t carry the same pressures to balance both providing for them and watching over them as a single mother.