Tearfund recycling scheme in Pakistan secures Government backing
 

An appeal to help build new recycling hubs in Pakistan and reduce rubbish ending up on the streets has been launched by Tearfund - and is backed by the Department for International Development

Tearfund, the Christian development charity, has been successful in securing UK government backing for its campaign to reduce plastic waste in Pakistan. Donations to the charity's Matched Giving Appeal will be doubled by the UK government as part of the UK Aid Match scheme by up to £2 million.

With the funding Tearfund will extend its work in slums in Pakistan to create innovative recycling hubs so that rubbish doesn’t end up on the streets and in the waterways. 

In Pakistan, nearly a third of people live below the poverty line and rubbish is one of their biggest challenges. When rubbish isn’t collected it often builds up in rivers and causes flooding, which can lead to diarrhoea and a host of infectious diseases. Often the only other way to dispose of waste is to burn it in the streets, which is extremely damaging to health, as well as adding to climate change. The problem of rubbish not being managed properly is a growing problem in the developing world. Globally two billion people don’t have their rubbish collected.

The charity says the initiative will prevent further damage to the environment, protect people’s health and provide jobs.

'Pakistan produces more than 20 million tonnes of rubbish each year and in cities like Karachi, two fifths remains uncollected,' said Ashraf Mall, Tearfund country representative for Pakistan. 'This rubbish is either burnt in the street, thrown into rivers, often ending up in the ocean, or builds up and causes flooding and health problems.

'The generous funding from the UK government will allow us to transform the daily lives of people living in Karachi and Hyderabad.' 

UK Aid Match brings charities, the British public and the UK government together to collectively change the lives of some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. It is designed to provide opportunities for the UK public to engage with international development issues and have a say in how UK aid is spent, while boosting the impact of the very best civil society projects to reach the poorest people in developing countries.

International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said that Tearfund’s appeal will help improve plastic recycling in Pakistan, cutting both waste and water pollution in the country.

'This vital work will improve the health of generations of people, and create jobs and prosperity in the region,' she explained. 'UK Aid Match will double every pound the Great British public donate to this campaign, meaning that their generosity will go twice as far.

'This builds on the essential work DFID is already doing around the world to tackle plastic waste globally.'

Tearfund said the match funding will be used by its partners in Pakistan to help people like Rubina (pictured).

Rubina lives in a slum and works hard to earn enough income to look after her three children. With no rubbish collection in the community, rubbish builds up and can spread diseases. The piles of rubbish are also burnt, releasing toxic fumes and causing respiratory problems.

Javed (pictured right), one of Rubina’s sons, lives with a disability and is particularly prone to this. They regularly have to take him by taxi to the hospital because his breathing is so bad.

Rabina is worried about the health of her children and struggles to pay any medical bills. The creation of the new recycling hubs will improve the living conditions for people like Rubina, creating a cleaner and safer environment for her children to grow up in and also providing jobs for those in the local community.

Images | Hazel Thompson | Tearfund


All donations to Tearfund’s Matched Giving Appeal, until Friday 17 May, will be doubled by the UK government, up to £2 million.