Empowering Women through trash: A story from Manila

Trash is something we have plenty of here in Manila.
Through an exciting new partnership with our solid waste management company, this year, have been able to support some of the poorest communities in the city through disposing our trash responsibly. Students are starting to understand that their trash really is someone else's treasure.

Essentially, we are empowering women to sew their way out of poverty.
See my photo story of our school's partnership with PCF.here:
http://www.urgentevoke.com/photo/albums/empowering-women-through-trash

Here is the history of PCF's work with women:

Jewellery and Sewing Livelihood Project
Manila, Philippines

In the heart of Navotas cemetery and Tondo, a class of women and students sit and wait patiently for their day of jewellery making or sewing, to begin.

Navotas cemetery is often flooded with dirty, stagnant water and is covered in litter. You could describe it as a cesspool of filth. Tondo is adjacent to Smokey Mountain Dumpsite where people spend their days picking recyclable items to sell. People have been living here, in such squalid conditions for years and years. Most of the ladies in the class have lived there all their lives. Their homes are 2m by 3m, some without electricity, no beds, no bathroom, just a room for the wh*** family, sometimes in excess of 7 squeezed in. Everyday is a struggle, but this small group of women and students have been taught a skill which is used to earn them an income and eventually bring their family out of poverty.

The first designs for both livelihood projects were very simple because the women were totally unskilled, but they learnt fast and soon were tackling much more demanding pieces with their confidence growing alongside their skills. So many women in their situation have lost all self-worth as they struggle to live from day to day and provide for their families. The atmosphere is always fun and relaxed.

In our jewellery glass we use a variety of materials from glass to recycled magazines. The women really come into their own as they experiment with different designs created by them. Our focus is to produce quality pieces at a reasonable price, high enough to make the project sustainable but low enough to encourage sales. We have joined forces with the already established sewing livelihood group who have been making gift bags. These greatly enhance the presentation of the jewellery pieces.

Our sewing class has grown from strength to strength with more women joining and now creating handbags from ring pulls. This exciting new product has drawn a lot of attention in the UK and abroad. The focus of this programme is self-sufficiency rather than reliance upon PCF. The ultimate aim is for the women to form cooperatives and eventually run their own groups. For those who have large families and unemployed partners these projects are a lifeline and means they do not have to resort to the degradation of waste picking. They are a hand up rather than a handout enabling dignity to be maintained and giving hope for the future.

Each product sold makes a real and tangible difference to the woman who made it. The money raised is used to keep the livelihood project running, which in turn offers more women the chance of a better life. They receive a weekly salary which keeps food on the table and helps with house needs and the education of their children.

(source https://store.p-c-f.org/livelihood.php)

More more info on our service partners, please go to

www.p-c-f.org

www.invisiblesisters.org

www.trashebolsas.com