Gamrupa

Like a lot of African countries, Gambia suffers from a high unemployment. Moreover the country undergoes a growing plastic pollution. Although the local community wants to take action and counter the problem, they have nor the money nor the knowledge to. Meanwhile the heap of waste is growing and repels tourists. Tourism is the second biggest economic sector in Gambia. Even the biggest sector, agriculture, suffers under the plastic pollution. Farmers complain about waste on their fields. Plastic pollution is therefore an issue that most definitely should be tackled.

Young People Without Borders (YPWB) is a charity organisation based in Sifoe village. This group of motivated people want to tackle the growing plastic problem in Gambia. Their objective is to change plastic waste into useful objects. Together with Gamrupa vzw, we want to create a recycling centre in Sifoe. In this centre, the people from YPWB can wash, recycle and shred the plastic waste. After this process, the recycled plastic can be transformed into useful objects using self-made machines. Finally the products like plastic cups, bowls, tiles,…  can be sold on the market. 

The project does not only contain building the centre and the machines but also teaching the locals how to recycle and maintain the installation. Furthermore, a market analysis need to be made to be sure the centre is economically viable. This way the project will be a social, economical and technical challenge.