Celeberating Woman's Day with Women Waste Pickers

Ginger Hotel (Ginger Roots Corporation Limited), East Delhi  celeberated 'Woman's Day' in Bhuapur area of Kaushambi, Ghaziabad on 8th March 2013.

Bhuapur Waste Picker Community, Kaushambi (Ghaziabad)

Staff interacting with woman waste pickers

Bhuapur is located behind the hotel Radisson Blu in sector 14, Ghaziabad on Delhi-UP border. Over 400 waste picker families live in this community and earn livelihood from city's discarded wastes by converting waste into resources. But these people wake up everyday to bring city's waste to their homes and save city's landfill space by 30%.  This community is ignored by the civil society and the government both. 

This community neither has potable drinking water facility nor does it have any community toilet. It is completely ignored by the civil society.Despite these difficulties for basic needs and also the occupational health hazards, their families depend on their daily earnings.
The staff  interacted with women and talked about their work and livelihood. We discussed about the challenges these women faced while living in the community. Women told they are only concerned about the health and hygiene, because their work is not clean and they have to face problems on clean drinking water and toilets. Without toilets they have to go for open defecation and that is embarrassing situation for a women. But no one can help it, they have to bear with this. Sometimes people object on them but they have to fight back to get their basic human rights.

Kid's School in the community behind hotel Radisson Blu

                                                                         The school run by waste picker

Ginger hotel staff visited the waste picker's community, and interacted with women waste pickers who earn their livelihood by turning city's waste into resources.

Team also visited community school where waste picker's children study in a shabby small hut,  run by Mrs. Singh who herself is waste picker's wife. The school is a room measuring about 7 square meter area, friable bricks covered with plaster cast and asbestos roof on the top.

The young children were happy to see the team. Though the class room is dark without any window or light bulb, but their lisping greetings with folded hands, joyful smile and shining teeth conveyed us that their enthusiasm to learn will prevail the shadow of darkness. About two third of these students are girls because boys are preferred sending to formal schools over girls. These girls stay back having only opportunity to learn in informal school run by woman waste picker.

The team enjoyed chatting with them. Children shared how their teacher taught them and also recited their learning.

Ginger staff distributed chocolates, toffees, wafers and other eatables to school kids. Kids were happy and they sang songs.


Later on the woman waste pickers were taken to hotel Ginger at Vivek Vihar  for lunch as mark of respect to them and their work. 

They all enjoyed their food at Khwaza Chowk restaurant of the Ginger hotel.

After the lunch they were dropped back in their community in taxi arranged by the hotel.  A happy 'Women's Day'.