From sorting and collecting recyclable waste to spreading awareness to the doorway to contacting victims of domestic violence, their contribution to urban development is as ruthless as their mothers.
“I wake up at 4 a.m. every day. I prepare food and lunch boxes, take my kids to school, and go to work,” Jyoti, who lives in Vivekananda camp and works with the Chintan Environmental Group, told PTI.
However, Jyoti’s days did not end with her work as a waste picker. The afternoon she spent picking the kids up from school and sending them to tuition. Given that her nights are all about doing housework.
“From 4 a.m. to 10 p.m., I don’t stop. Sunday is the only day I take off, with my kids,” she said. The Environmental Research and Action Group Chintan is involved in community work with women like Jyoti. Many of them are approaching the door at nearby doors, spreading not only awareness about waste management and environmental issues, but also helping women facing domestic violence, injustice or medical distress. Reshma, a 41-year-old slum resident living in the Bhalswa Diary Slum, said she balanced similar responsibilities but had no support from her partner.
“My husband left me a long time ago. I raised five children alone,” she told PTI, adding that only two children were in school.
She said she wouldn’t be doing other waste collection jobs when she was working on Chintan’s project. She is also part of a recent Thermal Solutions program, aiming to reduce indoor temperatures in low-income homes.
“I painted white roofs in 70 to 80 houses and cooled the house with bamboo and jute and jute. When one of my children is sick, I will only take a leave. Otherwise, I’ve been working,” Reshma told PTI.
These women live completely different lives without any gifts, cards or even appreciation. What they are left with is perseverance, sacrifice and quiet resilience.
Anita, 40, lives in a slum in the Nizamudin area in another part of the city. She also deceived environmental work, garbage picking, and full-time needs of motherhood. “I have six kids. Three of them are in school. It’s hard to manage everything,” Anita said.
Anita’s husband left her 15 years ago and she has raised her family alone since then.
Her collaboration with Chintan includes community surveys, plastic waste collection and advocacy campaigns. “We talk to women in the area, listen to their problems and try to help. We also talk about health, environment and safety,” she said.
In the same area, Shagufa, 30, said her health has been affected by the continuous management of her work and family. “I’ve been facing some health issues because I don’t have a break. I’m a waste selector and can also help the work of the environmental group,” she told PTI.
Even if these women work under the harshest conditions, such as sorting in garbage, walking long distances and breathing polluted air, they have conducted critical environmental interventions that have touched hundreds of houses.
