VietNamNet Bridge – The HCM City People’s Committee has approved aid from Dutch NGO Oxfam Novib Foundation for an ongoing project to safeguard and strengthen the rights of private garbage collectors, Sài Gòn Giải Phóng (Liberated Sai Gon) newspaper has reported. 

The Centre for Social Work and Community Development Research & Consultancy is carrying out a project to protect the rights of private garbage collectors in HCM City, and Oxfam Novib has now decided to fund it. Source http://www.sdrc.org.vn

The 4.6 trillion ($US197 million) project is being carried out in districts 2, 6, 9, Binh Thanh, and Go Vap by the Centre for Social Work and Community Development Research & Consultancy since August.

According to the centre, the project’s objective is to improve the capacity of garbage collectors to benefit from social security policies related to health insurance, accident insurance and labour safety.

It seeks to improve their awareness of good hygiene practices and occupational safety habits to ensure safety at work by organising workshops and forums.

The 1,200 private garbage collectors in these districts have been divided into 10 groups to help each other at work. They will next be encouraged to set up co-operatives or teams for self-help and development.

A network to protect the collectors will be set up.

The project will go on until December 2021.

More than 8,300 tonnes of garbage are collected in the city daily, with the private collectors playing an important role.

Source: VNS