In this global crisis, organizations of informal workers have established fundraising campaigns to support these essential, unprotected workers.
For the world's 2 billion informal workers, COVID-19 is a dual health and economic crisis.
Many live and/or work in crowded spaces without running water and sanitation, and have no access to health care. In this pandemic, waste recyclers, street vendors and food servers, construction workers, transport workers, and domestic workers are particularly at risk for infection.
But not working is no option. These workers depend on their daily earnings to survive—whether they are self-employed, wage workers, casual day labourers or dependent contractors—they face the risk of falling into extreme poverty as a result of government-ordered lockdowns.
Despite the challenges, informal workers in cities around the globe are providing essential services. They are striving to keep their communities fed, informed and clean during the COVID-19 crisis – without proper support.
They could use your help.
WIEGO has compiled this list of fundraising campaigns, led by membership-based organizations of informal workers and their allies.
SOUTH AFRICA
African Reclaimers Organization
Reclaimers play a crucial role, but they are not allowed to work during the lockdown. These informal waste pickers are already struggling to buy food and their children are going to bed hungry.
African Reclaimers Organization (ARO) activists are putting their own lives at risk by educating each other and working together to collectively respond to the pandemic, including by delivering food packages.
The South African Domestic Service and Allied Workers Union
The South African Domestic Service and Allied Workers Union is generating funds for women who will be deeply impacted by this pandemic: single mothers and domestic workers who have lost their jobs, in a place that now has 85% unemployment. Resources will go directly and quickly to women in crisis now. We are committed to securing funding throughout the crisis and its aftermath.
THAILAND
Federation of Informal Workers of Thailand
Measures taken to control the spread of coronavirus in Thaliand have hit informal workers the hardest.
Workers like street vendors, motorcycle taxi drivers, domestic workers, and home-based workers are taking health risks everyday to keep working and support their families. Their small businesses are suffering huge economic losses: many report earning just 20% (or less) of their pre-crisis income. Some have lost their incomes totally, and some are spending extra to purchase personal protective equipment.
HomeNet Thailand
The HomeNet Foundation has joined with Federation of Informal Workers in Thailand to accept donations to help informal workers overcome this hard situation together. We are welcomed the donation of cash, foodstuff, and hand sanitizers to distribute to informal workers.
EUROPE & U.K.
HomeNet Eastern Europe Central Asia
This Facebook page shares some of the challenges home-based workers in Eastern Europe and Central Asia are facing during the COVID-19 crisis.
Domestic Workers Support Aid Now (Netherlands)
Dutch trade unions are supporting the crowdfunding initiative to assist migrant domestic workers, who have no status and no ability to access aid. "Everyone in this country deserves protection, even without residence status". ~FNV: Help the domestic workers
The Voice of Domestic Workers (Britain)
The Voice of Domestic Workers is an education and support group calling for justice and rights for Britain's sixteen thousand migrant domestic workers. We provide educational and community activities for domestic workers - including English language lessons, drama and art classes, and employment advice, and provide support for domestic workers who exit from abusive employers.
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
GAIA
GAIA is organizing an Emergency Solidarity Fund to help its waste picker members—who are so vital to the health of their communities— stay safe and support their neighbors through this difficult time. GAIA will match donations up to $40,000 US.
International Domestic Workers Federation
IDWF is a membership-based global organization of domestic and household workers. Our objective is to build a strong, democratic and united domestic/household workers global organization to protect and advance domestic workers’ rights everywhere. Support Domestic Workers during this difficult time! Support IDWF!
INDIA
CARPE
In this time of crisis, while most of us can be indoors and work from home, this force of over 100 waste pickers from the informal sector step out every day to earn a livelihood and keep our city clean and hygienic.
This is the time to rise together to help those who work for us in these challenging time.
CHINTAN
The United Nations says in these times of COVID, handling waste is an essential service, without which we can all get more ill. Wastepickers do this for us in India. Delhi’s 50,000 wastepickers need our support as they protect us.
Hasiru Dala
Since the 24th of March, Hasiru Dala (www.hasirudala.in) has distributed one month ration and care kits to 11,344 (as of EOD April 13) vulnerable wastepicker families across 10 cities/towns in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. This was our immediate, rapid response intervention to mitigate hunger.
MHT: SEWA Mahila Housing Trust
Mahila Housing Sewa Trust (MHT)’s mission is to organize and empower women in poor communities to improve their habitat. A quality habitat is a home with all basic services such as clean water, toilets, electricity, and adequate light and ventilation. It is a key financial asset that supports livelihoods, and makes the poor more resilient to heat stress, disease, and other hazards of climate change.
SEWA Sangini Child Care Centres
The COVID Lockdown has disturbed the livelihoods of millions of informal workers across the country, including domestic workers, street vendors and construction workers. Their children are some of the worst affected in these troubled times. Lok Swasthya SEWA Trust, through Sangini Cooperative, a SEWA childcare initiative, are redirecting our efforts to feed these children in their time of need.
SWaCH and KKPKP
SWaCH is a cooperative of waste pickers in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, India, and KKPKP is their union. Their work is always insecure and precarious, despite having long advocated for their formal integration into the solid waste management system. During COVID-19 they are especially vulnerable. We would be very grateful if you donate towards COVID-19 relief for the waste pickers of Pune, who are the real game-changers addressing the plastics problem. Any donation you make will go towards personal protective equipment and dry ration kits to the waste pickers.Learn more & Donate Now or Donate here
BRAZIL
Movimento Nacional dos Catadores de Materiais Recicláveis – MNCR
O Brasil e o mundo vivenciam uma grave crise de saúde pública decorrente da pandemia de COVID-19 causada pelo novo coronavírus. Esta situação atinge diretamente um milhão de catadores e catadoras que sustentam suas famílias com a coleta, triagem, prensagem e comercialização de materiais recicláveis, mantendo as cidades limpas e o meio ambiente protegido.
União de 
Trabalhadores Ambulantes, Feriantes e Camelôs do Brasil (UNICAB)
O Brasil vive uma pandemia assim como o mundo e com isso os mais vulneráveis, trabalhadores de rua e sem tetos que ocupam para morar são os mais atingidos. Aju.
United Movement of Street Vendors (MUCA)
As medidas econômicas anunciadas pelo governo para minimizar os efeitos da crise provocada pelo coronavírus privilegiam o mercado formal, mas, em todo o país, cerca de 40 milhões de pessoas trabalham na informalidade e, somente na cidade do Rio, são 15.457 ambulantes cadastrados.
MÉXICO
Unión de Organilleros de México
The COVID-19 crisis has drastically affected the working days and daily income of the people who find their livelihood playing the organillo in public spaces. That is why from the Organilleros Union, we have taken on the task of raising funds to support fellow organilleros and their families with a basic food basket that has been very difficult to access due to the drastic reduction of income and days worked. We need your support now more than ever!
The funds will be used to purchase food baskets that will feed 310 members of the Organilleros Union and their families for one month.
JAMAICA
Jamaica Household Workers Union
Across Jamaica, housekeepers, helpers, gardeners, cooks, and nannies are having an extremely rough time as they have been let go from their jobs with no pay.
Jamaica is now weeks into the COVID-19 crisis and many Domestic Workers have run out for money and are facing severe challenges with food and other basic supplies for their families.
PERU
Federación Nacional de Vendedores de Diarios, Revistas y Loterías del Perú (FENVENDRELP)
During the COVID-19 crisis, Peru’s newspaper vendors, or canillitas, have continued their critical work of keeping the public informed even while facing serious health risks. Now the union representing canillitas, FENVENDRELP has begun a fundraiser to help feed the families of canillitas who cannot make ends meet due to the crisis. You can donate in soles or USD to the accounts below.
Esta iniciativa de la FENVENDRELP, se canalizará mediante la Campaña de recaudacion de fondos para la alimentación de los canillitas del Perú que no tienen cómo conseguir los recursos económicos para su alimentación y la de su familia, la donación consiste en comprar los alimentos, artículos de primera necesidad entre otros, la solidaridad es la mejor arma para vencer esta pandemia y la crisis económica que estamos atravesando en todo el país.
“Esta iniciativa beneficiará al sector de canillitas que no recibieron los bonos que viene entregando el gobierno, con lo cual se suman esfuerzos en la atención de las personas en situación de vulnerabilidad”. Asimismo, FENVENDRELP ha habilitado una cuenta corriente en soles y dólares para las personas que deseen hacer sus donaciones apoyando a todos los canillitas.
Cuenta BCP soles Nº 19122675330 y el CCI N° 00219100226753307258
Cuenta BCP dólares Nº19116242741 y el CCI N° 00219100162427411757
Swift BCPLPEPL
Coordinador General: Bartolomé Simón Mitma bsimonmitma4@gmail.com
Instituto de Promoción de las Trabajadoras del Hogar
IPROFOTH brinda apoyo con un hogar de tránsito para trabajadoras del hogar. Con el paso de los días de cuartentena hay más trabajadoras del hogar que solicitan apoyo pues sus condiciones de vida se siguen agravando.
Para poder recibir los apoyos nos hemos organizado de dos maneras:
1. Recepción de apoyos en especies en el local institucional ubicado en Pasaje Tumay 120 - Barranco. Lamando al 01 2472897 o al 991301384 o escribiendo al correo iprofoth2002@hotmail.com
2. Recepción de apoyos financieros al número de cuenta:193-20150058-0-93 del BCP a nombre de Kety Pascuala Carrillo Mercedes + Swift BCPLPEPL
Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores/as de Hogar del Perú
Campaña fondos para comprar alimentos: Solidaridad para las compañeras trabajadoras del hogar despedidas sin goce de haber durante el Estado de Emergencia por COVID-19.
Cuenta BCP en Soles: 191-35048064-0-83 Código CCI: 00219113504806408356 Swift: BCPLPEPL
USA
National Domestic Workers Alliance
For many in-home care workers, nannies, and house cleaners the threat from Coronavirus is especially severe. Without access to health care, paid sick leave, or job security, they are being forced to navigate this crisis alone — without a safety net.
The money you donate to the Coronavirus Care Fund will provide immediate financial support for domestic workers, and enable them to stay home and healthy.
New York Street Vendor Project
As primarily immigrant small business owners and workers, Street Vendors are not eligible for government support such as paid sick leave, unemployment insurance, or even most loans and grants offered to small businesses--making an already dire situation critical. Many are left with fear and confusion as to how they will support themselves and their families in the coming days.
FRANCE
Amelior Association (waste pickers)
L'association AMELIOR à été fondée en août 2012 par Martine Huser et Samuel Le Cœur.
L'équipe d'AMELIOR est composée d'une dizaine de bénévoles. Ils travaillent à l'organisation et la bonne gestion des marchés, aux collectes d'objets chez les entreprises et particuliers, à la gestion de notre boutique, aux conseils et expertises en direction de nos partenaires et institutions, à la récupération des invendus des vides greniers.