By: Ryan Schlief, Posted: Jul 15 09

Regions: India

Issues: Labor

Tags: discrimination, recycling, urban poverty, waste, wastepickers

A few months ago I wrote about our new partnership with Chintan in India.  Lots of planning, training, and shooting have happened since then and now I am back in beautiful Delhi to facilitate the editing of the first video co-produced by Chintan and WITNESS.   The video focuses on the rights of wastepickers, specifically those in the informal sector who go door-to-door collecting household trash and recyclables in Delhi. Check out my blog post from earlier this year for more information about Chintan's work.

Most door-to-door waste collectors in India receive a small amount of money from households and from selling recyclables.  According to some estimates, 1% of Delhi's population handle at least 20% (and up to 59%) of the city's waste - a major contribution without which the city would literally be covered with mounds of trash and recyclables.   However, because they are poor and work with waste, wastepickers face harassment from police, private waste management companies, and the general population.

The advocacy video we're working on now will highlight the challenges many door-to-door collectors are facing as a result of waste management in parts of the Delhi being contracted out to private companies.   In these areas, many door-to-door collectors are seeing their income drop significantly and their livelihoods become restricted.

The advocacy video we will finish in the coming weeks will be screened to five key decision makers in the city as part of Chintan's campaign to ensure the interests of door-to-door collectors are included in the city's waste management plans.

When we launched our partnership with Chintan, we spoke to Chintan Executive Director, Bharati Chaturvedi, about the rights of wastepickers and Chintan's programs.  In part two of the interview, I really like the perspective she shares on how video offers an opportunity to be more democratic.  Watch part two of that conversation for yourself (part one here in case you missed it):

In March, WITNESS and Video Volunteers hosted an 8-day production training, where Chintan staff learned the basics of camera work and editing.  Video Volunteers sets up media units within non-profits and trains them to use video in their work - it is great to be working with them on this project!  As part of the production training, Chintan staff took part in a filming exercise in which two film crews shot and edited a short video profiling two door-to-door collectors.  Stalin from Video Volunteers accompanied one team and I went with the other. Both teams did an amazing job!

Check out the video below from the filming exercise with Chintan:

Since then, Chintan has worked diligently over the past months to shoot the necessary footage for the video.  Before filming, Chintan staff often traveled the day before to the shooting locations and briefed the interviewees on the video advocacy project.   It's important to note that some locations are an hour away from the Chintan office.  More than once, conditions did not allow the shooting to take place, so the Chintan staff returned again and again.  I was able to accompany two film crews last week: one filmed a door-to-door collector selling the recyclables he collected and the other film crew shot interviews at a meeting of wastepickers.  I was really impressed with how professionally the Chintan film crew conducted the shooting.

With the filming done, now it's time to edit!  Two Chintan staff will be editing the advocacy video along with an editor from IMAK News and Entertainment.  I'll be working with them out of the IMAK office for the rest of July.  IMAK has worked with Chintan on its previous video projects and has been a helpful resource for this project.

Stay tuned to my blog for an update on the editing process with Chintan in Delhi!