LocationsFrom Stigma to Strength: How Women in Bangwe Are Turning Waste into Dignity, Income, and Environmental Restoration
January 12, 2026
Under the Small Grants Programme, women in Bangwe, Blantyre, have been trained in proper waste management and recycling.
Bangwe Township in Blantyre has long endured the challenge of uncollected waste. Market floors once covered with banana peels, drains blocked with plastic, and hillsides threatened by erosion reflected a daily struggle, one that mostly burdened women.
For years, women waste collectors in Bangwe worked in society’s shadows. They faced ridicule, discrimination, and constant hardship as they sought recyclable materials to sell. Yet these same women held an unrecognised potential to transform their environment and their livelihoods.
It is this potential that the Centre for Conflict Management and Women Development Affairs (CECOWDA), a Malawian Non Governmental Organisation registered in 2005, aimed to unlock. Built on a mission to promote human rights, dignity, and peace, and to ensure women participate actively in decision-making and development, CECOWDA has dedicated two decades to advocating for women and children.
CECOWDA had been empowering women in Bangwe Township with knowledge about their rights and how to report abuse for years. Yet, the women they supported remained heavily constrained by poverty. Among them were dozens who relied on waste collection and selling of the recyclable materials, a livelihood that provided little income and subjected them to daily humiliation.
“We were empowering women with knowledge, but we were not addressing their economic challenges,” says Thokozani Amanda Chimasula, CECOWDA’s Programme Advisor. “Many of them faced frequent abuse, not only from intimate partners but also from community members and the people they encountered during their work.”
When the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Program (GEF SGP), implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UNOPS, issued a call for proposals, CECOWDA saw a pathway to address both the environmental crisis in Bangwe and the economic vulnerability of its women.
With a USD 41,500 grant, the organisation designed a project that would train women in proper waste management, introduce recycling and compost production, install waste facilities in key markets, and create lasting economic opportunities rooted in environmental sustainability.
Alice: Finding Gold in Waste
Alice is a member of a 25-woman collective transforming organic waste into manure—earning daily income while building shared savings through a Village Savings and Loans scheme
Among the first to join was Alice Dickson from Mvula in Bangwe. Waste was her daily work. She walked long distances to find discarded materials and sold them for small amounts that barely sustained her family. And she carried the cruelty of community judgment.
“Before the project, we were often ridiculed because of the nature of our work,” she says. “We also used to walk long distances just to find waste materials. It was very hard and discouraging work.”
Her turning point came when she met CECOWDA.
“I became part of this project because my daily business was waste collection,” she explains. “CECOWDA trained us on how to handle waste properly and provided us with the tools and skills to turn some of the waste we collect into manure instead of simply discarding it.”
Today, Alice no longer works alone. She is part of a 25-member women’s group that produces organic manure, earns daily income, and saves collectively through a Village Savings and Loans scheme. Their unity is so strong that they bought matching cloth to symbolise their shared progress. More importantly, their community has transformed.
“Before this project, waste was thrown everywhere,” Alice says. “For example, we cleaned up a market that used to be covered in banana peels. Now the area is spotless, not a single peel in sight.”
With their earnings, the women purchased tree seedlings and planted them around Bangwe Hill to reduce landslides and protect the environment, transforming not only their livelihood but their landscape.
Evelyn: From isolation and ridicule to confidence and stability
Evelyn says the skills she has gained, particularly in manure production and financial management through a village bank, have given her a level of stability she never imagined possible.
For Evelyn Tchalosi, the story began with loneliness. She worked alone in waste collection, navigating exploitation from buyers who offered unfair prices and insults from people who misunderstood her work.
“People used to call me names and thought I was crazy because of my work focused on collecting waste,” she says. “When selling the waste, we were often exploited, with buyers offering very low prices.”
Joining CECOWDA’s initiative changed everything.
“Before joining, I used to work alone,” she explains. “But now, I work as part of a group. Through this, I have learned how to separate waste into perishables and non-perishables.”
The skills she learned, especially manure production and financial management through a village bank, gave her stability she never imagined possible.
“Before, it was difficult to even have three meals a day. But this project has empowered me financially, allowing me to afford food consistently and live more comfortably,” she says. “I can now afford clothes from shops, something that once felt impossible.”
Her dream is to see more women experience the same transformation: financial independence, confidence, and the chance to walk through their community with pride.
Jean: Finding dignity, income, and time for her family
Jean Joseph has transformed her life—turning waste into income, dignity, and time for her family through manure production, small business, and village savings.
Jean Joseph, from Mwamadi Village, had a story similar to many others. She spent long hours scavenging for waste, returning home exhausted and ashamed of the ridicule she endured.
“People said what I was doing was demeaning, and they looked down on me because of the nature of my work,” she recalls.
CECOWDA taught her how to sort waste, produce manure, and work within a structured group.
“Before this project, I barely had time for my family because I was always out searching for waste,” she says. “Now I have time to be at home, and I run a small food business. This stability was not possible before when I worked alone.”
Today, Jean produces her own manure at home, teaches her neighbours about hygiene and waste management, and contributes to a village savings scheme that helps her group borrow, invest, and grow.
Her group is also adopting Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae technology, allowing faster manure production and higher income — a leap into innovation she never expected to take.
She also noted that BSF manure carries significant economic potential, with a growing market among livestock farmers in and beyond Blantyre who rely on its nutrient-rich feedstock.
BSF is a sustainable way to convert organic waste into valuable products like protein-rich animal feed and nutrient-rich fertiliser. The process involves raising BSF larvae on waste materials, such as food scraps or manure, where they efficiently reduce waste volume and break down organic matter.
“It is a priceless feeling,” Jean says. “Knowing that we are restoring the environment makes me proud.”
Blantyre District Council Health Officer, Paul Pansoka, says women are vital partners in keeping Blantyre clean, turning waste into solutions.
A model for the city: How Bangwe’s women are shaping Blantyre’s waste system
From the perspective of the Blantyre District Council, these women are not just beneficiaries, they are partners in building a cleaner city.
“These initiatives play a crucial role in promoting global environmental management by strengthening the capacity of local communities,” says Paul Pansoka of the Health Department.
He notes a profound change. Women who once worked individually are now organised, producing compost, sorting waste, and connecting with recycling companies.
“What CECOWDA is doing — enabling women to sort waste, produce compost and sell it — is a direct contribution to the Council’s waste management goals,” he says. “It helps reduce the volume of waste transported to the Zingwangwa dumpsite, which is already nearing capacity.”
He believes the women's innovations, especially composting and Black Soldier Fly technology, can serve as models for replication across all wards in Blantyre.
CECOWDA’s proud transformation — and hopes for the future
For Thokozani, the project’s true impact goes beyond income or cleanliness, it restores dignity.
Today, the Bangwe market and its surrounding areas are visibly cleaner, a transformation largely driven by the women waste collectors whose organised efforts now keep spaces that were once choked with rubbish consistently well-maintained.
For Thokozani, the success of the project goes beyond income or cleanliness. It is about dignity.
“When I saw it bearing real fruit, I was deeply moved,” she says. “Women who once left home at 2 a.m., often being harassed and returning empty-handed, are now working in organised groups. They collect and sort waste, process it into manure, and earn income. These women now have more time for their families, and they can sustain their livelihoods with dignity.”
The women are now developing savings systems, registering cooperatives, and building market linkages to sustain their progress long after the grant period ends.
Thokozani’s message to development partners is clear:
“I encourage development partners to continue supporting similar initiatives,” she says. “If possible, increase the funding cap to scale up impact, and extend the implementation period to allow for even greater and more sustainable results.”
In Bangwe Township, Blantyre, women once ridiculed for collecting waste are now leading environmental restoration and earning sustainable incomes.
A community rising and a model of what local empowerment can achieve
From the slopes of Bangwe Hill to the local markets, the transformation is visible. There are cleaner spaces. Healthier households. Women who walk with confidence. Youth planting tree seedlings. Compost heaps turning into income. New technologies taking root.
What began as an effort to manage waste has evolved into a story of women reclaiming dignity, communities restoring their environment, and local leadership rewriting what development can look like.
CECOWDA’s founding belief that women must have the power to shape their own futures is no longer just a statement of intent but a daily reality experienced by women like Alice, Evelyn, and Jean. Their journey is proof that when communities lead and when women rise, entire ecosystems can heal.