_________________________

Teopista Zawedde, 54, entered into marriage in 1984 but unfortunately, her husband passed on in 1993 after getting involved in a road crash. 

The death left her with the responsibility of caring for their four children. So, in order to make ends meet, she began working hard to pay rent, provide food for her children, and ensure they received an education.

As a single mother without a stable source of income, she faced challenges in paying school fees.

“I used to work with Cementers, and was being paid shillings 1,800 daily, which was insufficient to address my needs,” she says.

She found herself in a dire situation, struggling to support her family.

In 1996, the Government established Kiteezi Landfill amidst widespread protests from some well-off residents, demanding its relocation. However, the poor saw it as an opportunity to make money.

Zawedde says she also decided to engage in waste sorting alongside seven other individuals: Six men and one woman.

Living in close proximity to the landfill, she always woke up early to sort polythene materials, used boxes, and scrap materials, gradually earning an income that enabled her to look after her children.

“I used to make about shillings 10,000 or shillings 15,000 [daily],” she adds.

Despite the financial benefits of waste sorting, Zawedde acknowledged the associated challenges, particularly concerning the health risks.

The informal nature of waste management meant that individuals like her lacked access to protective gear, resulting in health complications and, at times, fatalities among colleagues due to unknown illnesses.

“The majority of the people in this job are women and youth living around the dumping site. Most of them are widows like me and the little money they get is not enough to feed and educate their children on top of other risks,” she says.

Nevertheless, with the assistance of Kiteezi Samaritan and a group of women, she mentions that they are now actively acquiring new skills that can complement their waste management duties and increase their income.

Women empowerment

To overcome the obstacle of poverty, the Wakiso district leadership has collaborated with Kiteezi Samaritan, with backing from International Samaritan, to initiate a programme focused on skills development and livelihood improvement for women and their families residing around and working at the dumping site.

During the programme’s inauguration in Kiteezi on February 24, 2024, David Kafambe, the executive director of the local organisation, emphasized the importance of supporting these families given the various health risks they face.

He highlighted the necessity of providing them with skills to enhance their livelihoods and protect them from potential health hazards.

He mentioned that they have earmarked shillings 1.5 billion for different interventions, beginning with 75 households this year.

“We now offer them free health check-ups every three months. You know this is their daily work where they earn a living to look after their families and we can’t stop them. So, we are trying to ensure we safeguard them,” Kafambe added.

He stressed that they are also providing training in different entrepreneurial skills and assisting them in launching various business ventures of their interest to help them overcome poverty and enhance their quality of life.

“We put them in groups depending on what they want to do. Like some of these women came up with a performing arts group and we want to train and support them better to ensure they perform to get money,” Kafambe added.

Some of the women perform a traditional dance during the function. (All Photos by Jeff Andrew Lule.)

He stressed that those with business ideas are supported to become better. They have established a skills center and an office near the dump site.

At this facility, they provide training in fashion and design, as well as crafts making, among other skills.

Additionally, the office serves as a counselling hub to address any other challenges these women may face.

Kafambe said the office also provides them with an environment to relax, receive guidance and acquire knowledge to enhance the quality of their lives.

“Working in a garbage dump site is the lowest level of employment someone can have. It’s not a good place to work because of so many health hazards,” Kafambe said during an interview.

He highlighted their intention to commence distributing protective gear to all workers at the landfill.

200 children supported education strategy

Kafambe emphasized their primary approach as ensuring that every child within the household receives a quality education.

This commitment, he said, aims to cultivate a better future generation that can subsequently make a positive impact on their families and communities.

“When you invest in education, it means you can have many children go to school, and can come back and develop their communities. We pay full scholarship for all the children of the people working at the dumpsite,” he noted.

He emphasized that in under a year, they have successfully assisted 200 children across different educational stages.

Mafambe observed that their decision to concentrate on women and the community residing near the dumpsite was due to the uniqueness of this group, with many unaware of the challenges they face.

Andrew Pawuk, Vice-President of International Samaritan, said: “We want to bring education and holistic scholarships to children in this community. Local authorities in Uganda are very eager to work with organisations like International Samaritan to support people and, therefore, this encouraged us to extend services here.”

Produce children you can manage

While officiating at the event, Mondo Kyateeka, the commissioner youth and children affairs, commended organisations such as Kiteezi Samaritan for their commendable role in supporting the Government's endeavours to improve the quality of life for marginalised individuals, including children and women.

But he also advised parents to only give birth to children they are capable of providing proper care and support to.

“Don’t say because this government or such and such an NGO is here, I can give birth to the children I want. When you give birth to a child, it is your responsibility to look after them. Therefore, the children you are siring now you don’t know where they will end up in a few years to come. So, produce a few you can ably look after,” he said.

Wakiso district community development officer John Kyejusa praised the efforts of Kiteezi Samaritan in supplementing government programmes towards eradicating poverty and promoting quality education.

He expressed their commitment to assist the initiative by connecting beneficiaries with different government programmes to ensure its sustainability.

Kiteezi landfill

Kiteezi landfill, established in 1996, serves as the disposal site for all waste collected from the five divisions of Kampala: Central, Kawempe, Nakawa, Makindye, and Rubaga.

The communities residing near the landfill endure poor air quality, waste strewn about, and leachate.

Despite the related health hazards, the landfill provides a source of income for over 1,000 individuals, particularly women and youth, who scavenge through the garbage.

Over time, the landfill has transformed into a massive mound visible from various points.

However, due to the escalating risks posed to the community, the government recently acquired another 136-acre plot in Dundu, Mukono district, as a new disposal site but has not been developed yet.