A problem that has plagued the Polewali Transformational Community Development (TCD) community for years is waste management. There is no infrastructure for removal in the entire surrounding area, so people long argued over where to dump their trash. It is also a topic that has been discussed several times during community TCD meetings with no solution. To make matters more complicated, it is culturally a shameful thing to work with garbage, leaving no one to help solve the problem. Except for one man.

Where others saw a disgusting problem, a TCD participant named Masri saw an opportunity. He threw away his shame and decided to start picking up piles of trash gathered outside the homes of community members. Masri will then sort the trash and divide it into various types of materials that can be recycled or sold. His business has grown and he now has three employees working for him.

“In my opinion, for every problem there is a solution”, said Masri to the GHNI team. “At first, I saw this as dirty work, but with encouragement from the TCD training team, I gained the confidence and inspiration I needed to let go of my pride and start a business. Rather than image, I choose success.”

Thank you,

Written by Didi, GHNI Partner