While in Zambia this week, I came accross a straw hamper in the waiting area of the Swedish embassy in Lusaka labeled “Chikumbuso“. It was decorated with an HIV ribbon woven from plastic bags and had a sign on it saying any old plastic bags placed in the hamper would be used to make new woven bags. It turns out Chikumbuso is a community center that serves widows, single mothers, grandmothers and orphans by running a school for the children and teaching women income-generating skils (such as how to make a bag out of old plastic bags). I tried to find the place online before leaving, but alas was not able to arrange a visit. I did find this sweet little video of the women singing, though.
Photo by LearnServe International, found on Flickr
This week in trash news:
Photo of Texas beach debris ripped from the A.P.
everydaytrash 