Delhi's verdant avenues often disguise the people who help make it so - the overlooked champions of urban waste management, Delhi's waste pickers. Fortunately, this time, someone was watching.
Bharti Chaturvedi's journey is one of curiosity evolving into unwavering commitment. Witnessing the struggles of Delhi's waste pickers firsthand, Bharti was moved to find sustainable solutions for these marginalized communities, and the environment.
Founded in 1999, Chintan is not just an organization; it's a movement that transforms waste into opportunity, empowering communities and fostering environmental stewardship. "Whatever has happened with us is in the past, but it should not happen with our children," the waste pickers would say, and that mantra formed the guiding principle behind Chintan Foundation.
At the heart of Chintan's mission is a commitment to empowerment and inclusivity. By placing women at the center of their efforts, Bharti and her team are reshaping the narrative of waste management. Women are trained in technical skills and empowered to run their businesses, thereby contributing materially to their families' well-being. They are also taught how to grow their own food, through the Kyari to Kitchen program, giving them easy access to nutritious greens at little or no cost. Chintan also operates a learning center, where the mix skews towards 60-67% girls. By doing so, Chintan is ensuring that the next generation of women are empowered through education, and better able to reach for a more equitable future.
Chintan's impact extends far beyond Delhi's streets. With 27 learning centers and 7 libraries established across the Delhi NCR region, benefiting over 15,000 children, the organization is nurturing the leaders of tomorrow. Through waste segregation, door-to-door collection, and recycling, Chintan manages over 40 tons of waste daily, making significant strides towards environmental sustainability. Employing over 1,500 waste pickers and servicing more than 24,000 households, Chintan is not just managing waste; it's transforming lives.
But Chintan's work doesn't stop there. Through initiatives like Safai Sena, an army comprising waste pickers and small aggregators, the organization equips frontline workers with the tools and knowledge to protect themselves from air pollution, safeguarding their health and well-being. With ambitious goals to manage 4,000 tons of waste per day in India by 2030, Chintan's vision for a cleaner, greener future knows no bounds.
Through Chintan Foundation, Bharati Chaturvedi has not only revolutionized waste management but also uplifted communities and inspired change on a monumental scale. Her story reminds us that with dedication, compassion, and unwavering resolve, we can turn challenges into opportunities and create a brighter tomorrow for all.
To honor stories like Bharti Chaturvedi and Chintan Foundation, AU Small Finance Bank presents Badlaav Humse Hai Season 2, in association with Network18. Just like the first season, Season 2 celebrates 25 stories that showcase changemakers whose unsung work has helped carve out cultural identities for communities, lifted them out of poverty; created access where only barriers existed; shown communities how to work with nature to create true sustainability; changed hearts and minds about othered communities; changed the lives of many through economic, social or educational empowerment, and much, much more.
Watch Season 2 of Badlaav Humse Hai for more stories like this one. You may also catch up on all the wonderful stories from Season 1.
Moneycontrol Journalists were not involved in the creation of the article.
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