What makes Saamuhika Shakti successful is not only its ability to work collaboratively but also its willingness to explore different models, innovate and find disruptive solutions to break the vicious cycle of intergenerational poverty, while ensuring that change is sustainable. The success of Phase 1, we think, is largely due to the deep trust built by our partners and nurtured by the backbone, The/Nudge Institute, through transparency, consistent feedback and persistent commitment to a set of agreed-upon principles and goals. We want to thank The/Nudge Institute for their amazing work, holding together this Collective Impact program, providing holistic solutions to address key socio-economic problems in the waste pickers community in Bengaluru, identified by waste pickers themselves.
With our partners focused on the overarching goals, and treasuring the community they work with, we head into Phase 2 confidently and optimistically! Our new backbone, Sattva’s, conscious effort to bring multiple stakeholders together and co-create effective, inclusive and sustainable models of change combined with Saamuhika Shakti’s stellar collaboration and impact potential, we believe, will go a long way in maximising the benefits of the collective impact model. We also hope it will encourage many more donors, nonprofits, and development sector actors to adopt the systems change approach.
“The first phase of Saamuhika Shakti, was full of learnings, it generated strong evidence about the approach and created the kind of impact we hoped it would. It encouraged us to take Saamuhika Shakti into a second phase.”
Maria Bystedt, Strategy Lead H&M Foundation
Along with Sattva, we also welcome two new implementing partners, Sparsha and Udhyam Learning Foundation. Sparsha will work to further strengthen Saamuhika Shakti’s work with the children of informal waste pickers. Their interventions will focus on children’s education, holistic development and skilling, as well as strengthen institutional and teacher capacities. Udhyam will support the 200 plus micro-entrepreneurs created during Phase 1 from among the waste picker community, and look to co-create solutions to ensure these entrepreneurs continue on the path of entrepreneurship.
Saamuhika Shakti’s first phase, run 2020-2023, has brought with it immense learnings of how to best equip waste pickers of Bengaluru to lift themselves out of poverty and lead secure and dignified lives. Waste pickers are a critical part of every city’s solid waste management ecosystem and form the first leg of the vast recycling value chain in the country. Despite the economic and environmental value they add to the city, waste pickers continue to remain among the most marginalised groups and are largely ‘invisible’ to the residents of the city.
Phase 1 covered both economic aspects such as livelihoods, as well as social aspects such as education, health, housing, water and sanitation etc. It had a specific focus on ensuring that women, girls and other vulnerable groups have equitable access to the outcomes. Importantly, it also focused on the critical aspect of bringing more recognition of informal waste pickers. Phase 1 has demonstrated that a systems change approach is indeed scalable and replicable.
