The problem –  Waste collection and disposal services in informal settlements, besides providing health benefits by eliminating environmental risk factors, provide a potentially viable source of employment given the presence of a market for the materials they recover.

The way forward - This project had two phases and operated in Accra, Ghana; Pune, India; and in Monrovia, Liberia. An NGO partner on the ground helped young entrepreneurs develop and carry out plans to create small businesses focused on recycling or composting. The project demonstrated the complexity of operating a program in vastly different environments especially when a secondary market for recovered materials is nascent or nonexistent.

Contribution – Project coordination through regular calls and site visits; budget review and analysis; small enterprise business model review; development of project metrics.