Social Internship

SOCIAL INTERNSHIP REPORT

Table of contents

Name of NGO:
Waste Warriors

Title Of Project:
Waste Management and Awareness Rising

Introduction:

Waste Warriors is an experienced and dynamic voluntary organization committed to tackling India’s garbage problem. We do this through a combination of direct action, liaison and awareness rising. We currently have 3 major projects at Dharamshala, Dehradun and Corbett and our mission is to promote and provide affordable and sustainable waste management systems that improve our environment, health and quality of life.
We are involved in a whole array of activities including:
Creating waste management models
Interactive education programs
Training and workshops
Waste segregation and recycling
Poster removal
Event waste management like at Sunburn music festival in Goa, IPL cricket matches, Chennai marathon, etc.

Brief synopsis

As part of the curriculum the students of IPM2011 were assigned the task of being aware of the ground realities and learn the lesson of societal values with first-hand experience. Students opted for different NGOs as their platform in their endeavor to imbibe values and become responsible citizens of the country in time to come.
There are innumerable issues that have to be addressed in order to make every citizen of India to be proud of their country. Starting from child labor, children education in rural areas, girl child protection, alleviation of poverty through education there are many more issues, which need immediate attention. It is matter of satisfaction that there are many govt. /non-govt. organizations are working in this regard despite lot of difficulties.
Believing in the concept that clean environment make one think clearly and positively I opted for a NGO working religiously for make tourist places like Dehradun in Uttarakhand and Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh clean and a better place to live and visit. The NGO is run by CEO Jodie Underhill and is named as WASTE WARRIORS. It is really a commendable effort on the part of a British National to work so dedicatedly to make these places better for anyone to live. It was really a learning experience as we came across a lot of hurdles in our efforts but with Ms. Jodie at the forefront everything fell into place. The perception about the nature of the job may vary from person to person but one thing was common. Everyone in the city wanted to get rid of the waste and appreciated our drives. Apart from cleanup drives the focus was mainly on awareness programs so that every person on the street is the change in him. We visited many schools, coaching centers and offices to make people aware of waste management and seek more volunteers for our incoming projects. The programs were well accepted by students.

Scope of project:

Preparing for Solid Waste Management Plan Data Collection and Analysis for accurate quantification and characterization of waste

Waste quantification assessment and prediction. Analyze the existing waste management situation. Assessing the institutional framework and resources available
Stakeholders’ consultation comments and input. Understanding the role of different stakeholders at different levels of solid waste management chain.
Formulate action plan and SWM plan. Selection of system, equipment, vehicles, technology.
Design waste management hierarchy, planning and design of systems, technology selection. Preparation of plan for transportation of solid waste.

Preparation of plan for disposal on land i.e. environmentally safe and sustainable disposal in landfills.
Implement the action plan and monitor the results.

Activities involved and timeline:

Creating waste management models
Interactive education programs
Training and workshops
Waste segregation and recycling
Poster removal
Community cleanup programs
Dumpsite clearances
Composting Solutions and products
Door to door waste collections
Presentations and seminars
Awareness raising initiatives
Art projects and wall murals
Waste workshops
Children’s days

Detailed project report highlighting all the activities carried out during the project

Darshanlal chowk: Poster Removal Drive at Darshanlal Chowk

Thousands of posters are pasted on the walls in Doon. Besides degrading the aesthetic quality of the place, it is also illegal to paste posters on public property. A poster removal drive led by Waste Warriors CEO Jodie Underhill was conducted which included the interns from IIM Indore and local volunteers. A prior commitment was made by private owners not to stick posters on the wall owned by PWD, yet the wall with its beautiful paintings was hidden under the hideous posters.

Clean Up Drive Continues at Astley hall

A two-day clean up drive was conducted at Astley hall, which included removal of construction waste, left behind by MDDA contractors on the roadside near the transformer. Due to the hard work of six interns from IIM Indore and local volunteers, approximately 1000 kg's of construction waste was shoveled into bags and loaded into the WW truck and dumped at the trenching ground. Also, a wall and lamp posts covered with posters were cleaned so that they don't look hideous anymore and ready for a mural to be painted on.

Raj Plaza - An upcoming transformation project

Raj plaza is one the city's biggest business hubs but also one of the dirtiest. Waste Warriors interns to formulate a project and organize a cleanup drive there conducted a survey. For this they contacted the shopkeepers for their cooperation and their present scenarios. According to sources, there is no water supply in the entire building. Also, there is no proper disposal system installed by the Municipal Cooperation.

Composting workshop at CPWD

Composting does not require any special skills. It is quite easy to adopt and can be done with a minimal cost. Besides providing multiple environmental benefits, composting also provides financial benefits and the satisfaction of moving towards a greener future.

With the intent of teaching this and making the gardeners aware about the importance and advantages of composting, Waste Warriors made their way to CPWD in Dehradun.

The two days’ workshop started on 21st May 2014 at 10am. As the gardeners handle the most abundantly recyclable item available in the society i.e. leaves, they were briefed by Waste Warriors CEO Jodie Underhill about the importance of composting. The harmful effects of

burning leaves and how it leads to air pollution whilst having severe effects on mental growth of children were pointed out.

With adequate and required support from the authorities and the gardeners, the Waste Warriors’ team pulled their sleeves up for making the 3 composting pits. The gardeners were helped and given instructions by the team from first to final step in for making the pits. Soon, the heaps of leaves were converted into compost enclosures.

Shiva Palace - An Upcoming Transformation Project

Shiva Palace is one the city's famous business hubs but the inside is grubby and there is a dumpsite next door. This is rather surprising as the Central Secretariat and the DM's camp office are nearby.

Waste Warriors interns to formulate a project and organize a cleanup drive there conducted a survey. For this we contacted the shopkeepers for their cooperation and to find out what kind of help was required. It was discovered that the rag picker that collects from the businesses

dumps the waste she doesn't want in the open plot next to the shopping complex. Municipal Sweepers also throw waste there.

From the 1st to the 4th of June Waste Warriors have been separating the plastic from the garden waste. Two composting piles have been made and several truckloads of non-recyclable waste have been taken to the trenching ground. The front part is now clean but there is a lot of garbage still to be tackled at the back of the plot.

Cleanup at Gandhi Park

Waste Warriors conducted a cleanup and awareness rising session at Gandhi Park on Saturday. They collected nearly 30 bags weighing 1000 kg’s. Waste Warriors staff and interns collected waste from Gandhi Park and children’s park in there. Also, hideous posters pasted on the main gate of Gandhi Park were removed. The team separated the waste into recyclable and non-recyclable waste. Awareness was spread among people regarding proper methods of waste disposal and use of dustbins. Also, some volunteers were registered. The clean-up sessions are part of a long-term project to clean up the park and ensure that it stays clean afterwards. They are in the process of creating an action plan so that the area can stay clean on a long-term basis.

Transformation project at Shiva Palace

The transformation project at Shiva Palace started from 1st June. We cleaned up the dumping site next to Shiva Palace. In addition to that the piles of posters stuck on the walls in the Shiva palace were removed. From 1st to 4th of June we separated the plastic from the garden waste. Two composting piles have been made and several truckloads of non-recyclable waste have been taken to the trenching ground.

Cleaning on World Environment Day at Behl Chowk

In Phase 1, on the eve of World Environment Day the clearance of large illegal dumpsite on the open plot of land opposite the Sony and Whirlpool Showrooms at Behl Chowk was started.

We worked from 9am to 4:30pm braving the scorching heat to collect 40 bags of non-recyclable garbage weighing approximately 800 kg’s.
The interns also raised awareness amongst the surrounding businesses and collected rs1600 in donations in appreciation of their efforts.
Waste Warriors has cleaned this area in the past but has this time pledged to make sure that the area stays clean on a long-term basis. By working there every day their staff will be able

to identify who is disposing of their waste there and offer alternate solutions. The Waste Warriors team estimates that it will take more than a week to totally clean the open plot as the ground is heavily littered all the way from Rajpur Road to Crossroads Mall.

Rajpur Road Cleanup Drive

Rajpur road is one the most well known places in Doon but is also one of the dirtiest because of the posters being pasted around and the garbage being littered carelessly by the passersby and the shops situated on the roadside. A cleanup drive was conducted by the Waste Warriors, led by the CEO Jodie Underhill and assisted by her interns and staff. Garbage from the stalls along the Rajpur road was collected and segregated. Posters were removed and walls were cleaned. Also, waste outside KC soup area was collected and properly disposed of.

Clean-up Drive at BEHL chowk in collaboration with MAD

Youth organization ‘Making a Difference by being the Difference’ (MAD) and Waste Warriors joined forces to clear a variety of waste dumped on the disputed land at Behl Chowk. 40 bags of waste weighing approximately 700 kg’s were collected and disposed of at the trenching ground. Twenty volunteers from MAD and twelve volunteers and interns from Waste Warriors participated in the cleanup drive that started at 7am.

A local resident that wishes to remain anonymous approached the group and informed them that the rag pickers that collect from the local businesses throw the waste that they don’t want into the open plot. She also pointed out that municipal sweepers also throw waste there, as there is no allocated place for disposal of waste in that area. It is for these reasons that the area has become a dumpsite, a major eyesore and a potential health hazard.

The cleanup was held as part of a series of clean-up events organized by Waste Warriors in a bid to clear the dump site and stop further dumping. Layers of plastic are found in the soil, in some places going down several feet after years of illegal waste disposal. Approximately

3000 kg’s have already been collected in the past few weeks thanks to the hard work of staff, volunteers and daily rate workers hired from the trenching ground.

TVE Nokia Film Screenings - June 2014

To kick launch our Television for Environment (TVE) and Nokia film screenings festival we held an event for our interns at the Waste Warriors Headquarters here in Dehradun. The film shown ‘Scavenging Dreams” directed by Jasmine Kaur and Avinash Roy was very well received as the interns could relate to the various issues it raised. The film takes a look at the lives of rag pickers and waste dealers in Delhi. It’s a world that thrives on the waste that the city generates. This is big business and relies on the thousands of children working as rag pickers. The movie showed the harsh reality of waste management in India.

During the interactive session after the film we discussed the many problems facing rag

pickers despite the importance of the work they do and tried to come up with ways to improve their situation and working conditions. The recycling industry is an informal one and without the work of rag pickers India would possibly disappear under its own garbage. Even municipal sweepers are assisted by the fact that rag pickers collect recyclable waste from the streets.

On 21st June we screened the film at the Times Institute, Career Launcher and Aptech Institute. The aim of the screenings was for young people between the ages of 18 -25 years to become more aware of the planet and the problems she is facing.

At each Institute we conducted a one-hour session, which gave us time to watch the film then interact with the students. We also gave a brief presentation about the work of Waste Warriors at each of the event locations.

Meetings


We also had meetings with different organizations, institutes, and people in order to assist the smooth and better functioning and the betterment of the organization.
1. Chief executive engineer- a meeting was held with the chief executive engineer wherein a presentation about the transformation projects and the commendable work done by Waste Warriors was made. Also his permission and required assistance for some of the on-going and upcoming projects was undertaken. By his permission we got a chance to conduct a composting workshop in CPWD colony.
2. App.in and RAD Institute – Meetings were held at the offices of these institutes, warning them for the pasting of posters at various locations (which is illegal), taking off the posters in a given time span and not repeating the same mistake again.
3.Pacific mall, Cross road mall and City junction mall- Meetings were held with the marketing authorities of these malls regarding setting up of stalls for awareness raising and registering volunteers for the upcoming projects.
4.TIME Institute, Career launcher, Aptech, SAFT, Doon school of foreign languages- We had several meetings at these private institutes for discussions regarding the Nokia TVE Film Screening and a brief session with their students regarding the working and projects of the organization.
5.Dance academy – At Nach Dance Academy a meeting was held for discussing about the plans of a flash mob as a part of awareness and fund raising campaign.
6.Delhi Public School, Doon Valley Public School,St . Joseph’s academy and Jaswant Model School -In many of the meetings the response was positive, while in some of them we could not make up to the desired expectations.

ANIMAL WELFARE


Apart from waste management, the organization also works towards animal welfare. We have been working towards feeding and providing first aids to the stray dogs, donkeys and cows. Many times we have rescued the almost dead dogs by providing them proper treatments from animal doctors. During our internship we came across a case where a buffalo was accidently trapped inside a construction water pool. With the help of the localities, we were able to rescue the animal from the pool.

Awareness raising campaigns

Several awareness raising campaigns were held in order to make the people and the local business aware about proper methods of waste disposal, use of dustbins, separate disposal of dry waste and wet waste and segregation of recyclable and non- recyclable waste, importance of clean and healthy environment and to ensure dumping and littering does not continue to happen. A clean environment is a fundamental right but not enough is being done to ensure that it happens, if no proper care is taken clean environment will be a thing of past.
Awareness raising campaigns were held at the following places: -
Crossroad mall
Gandhi Park
Temple langar
Behl chowk

Volunteer Registration

In addition to community cleanup events, poster removal drives and awareness raising campaigns, volunteers registration stalls and sessions were also held to register volunteers for upcoming projects of the NGO. Interested volunteers having different skills and interests got themselves registered for different activities like website designing, wall painting , poster removal drives, community cleanup events , drawing , to develop new skills, learn from others ,help others, connect to community and in order to lend NGO a hand in making India clean and being a part of the change. Nearly 120 volunteers got themselves registered with the organization in order to assist it in the upcoming events.
People at the following places and events got themselves registered:-
Delhi Public School Doon Valley Public school DBS college

Crossroad mall

Gandhi Park

Data Collection

1.Raj Plaza
Raj plaza is one the city's biggest business hubs but also one of the dirtiest. We conducted a survey to formulate a project and organize a cleanup drive there. For this we contacted the shopkeepers for their cooperation and their present scenarios. We collected information about their ways of waste disposal, their views about the beauty of the place and the problems faced.

2.Shiva Palace
Shiva Palace is one the city's famous business hubs but the inside is grubby and there is a dumpsite next door. But it is rather surprising as the Central Secretariat and the DM's camp office are nearby. We conducted a survey to formulate a project and organize a cleanup drive there. For the survey we interacted with the shopkeepers and asked for their cooperation and to find out what kind of help was required. It was discovered that the rag picker that collects from the businesses dumps the waste she doesn't want in the open plot next to the shopping complex. Municipal Sweepers also throw waste there. Future plans of the organization of dealing with the problems like proper methods of waste management, improving the scenic beauty and different ways of client satisfaction were discussed with the shopkeepers.
3.Astley Hall
In Addition to the on-going transformation project on the Rajpur roadside of Astley hall, a survey was conducted for bringing about the next project on the Gandhi Park Side of Astley hall. Required information was collected from the shopkeepers and essential information regarding the transformation was communicated to the same.

Door to door collection

Door to door collection for the donations done by different areas like Jakhan area, Anekant palace and Astley Hall maintained by the organization were done and a proper record of the same is maintained.

Research for Marathon
For the upcoming marathon on 23rd. November 2014, the organization took a challenge of handling the waste generated in 10 famous cities of the nation, which includes Gurgaon, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune, Coimbatore, Bangalore, Mangalore, Kochi and Hyderabad. For the purpose of achieving its goal a list with full contact details of different NGO‟s and other groups in ten different cities was made. Thereafter a mail was dropped to all asking them for joining us in fulfilling this goal.

Excel

Excel sheets formed by me were:

1. Volunteer list
2. School names
These lists were prepared by converting raw data into tabular and assorted forms containing all the necessary information.
Summary of data collection at Shiva Palace -After the survey held for the upcoming project at Shiva palace, the response of the shopkeepers was formulated in an excel sheet for easy , effective and better decision making.

Social Media

Being a part of the social media team and for fulfilling the sole aim of social media i.e. helping the organization reach maximum number of people was our aim and for fulfilling this purpose regular posts and updates were made on the Facebook page of the NGO for letting the people know about the working of the organizations, the on- going projects, responding to their queries, providing solutions about problems related to waste management. The importance of communicating with people, having a highly active and engaging fan page and talk back and heed feedback were kept in mind. Regular videos, photos, write ups, updates and posts about the following on-going events were posted on the Facebook page in the social internship of 45 days: -
Darshan Lal chowk Astley Hall Shiva Palace
Behl Chowk Gandhi Park

Rajpur road Interns at Waste Warriors

Waste Warriors in News

TVE Nokia film screenings

Volunteer recruitment posts Videos related to the threat to animal, plants and birds regarding the 2. Handling the Gmail account: I handled the Gmail account of waste warriors Dehradun. Constant replies to queries were made and also improvisation on the account was done by creating a Gmail group so the mails could be sent easily to different classified people.

The Dharamshala Chapter:

To explore the different areas of Waste Warriors and our own potential I spent a week at the Dharamshala branch of Waste Warriors situated in Mcleodganj in Dharamshala. The list of activities that were carried out there includes:

Trek to Triund:

A 13km to trek to a peak called Triund was organized by Waste warrior project manager at Dharamshala Mr. Avinash Singh. It took 6 hours to reach the summit. Volunteers and interns cleaned the whole trail on their way up to the peak. We split our group into 3 sub-groups of 2 members. Each of the 3 subgroups was given one garbage bag each. As we climbed up, we kept filling our bags with all sorts of non-biodegradable trash that we could spot- plastic and glass bottles, plastic packets, beer cans, cloth pieces and so on. We stopped at several of the shops in between, resting, filling our bottles with water, having hot maggi, bread and butter and supplying the shop keepers with new trash bags to fill. The shopkeepers are very environment conscious and do their bit to spread awareness about Waste Warriors and the work they do. For e.g., they always ask their customers to throw the rubbish specifically in the Waste Warrior garbage bags and not litter the place by throwing it anywhere.
By the time we reached Triund , our rubbish bags were completely filled with waste.
Also, the interns hiked 3 hours further to the glacier and collected garbage all along the way.

Children’s day:

We celebrated World Environment Day by conducting a cleanup drive at Bhagsu waterfall. A team of volunteers went to the Bhagsu waterfall and cleaned the streams.
In addition to that we celebrated children’s day with two Government Primary Schools in Bhagsu and Dharamkot to spread awareness about the importance and imperative necessity of a hale and hearty environment.
Over 70 students attended the session that run from 10 am to 2 pm .The basic aim of the event was to teach kids the principles of waste management i.e. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle through paintings, drawings, games and other fun activities for promoting proper waste disposal methods. Initially a rally was carried around Main square Bhagsu, Bhagsu waterfall, Waste Warriors office, upper and lower Dharamkot where children shouted slogans like “Clean Bhagsu, green Bhagsu “,”Remove plastic, Save Environment “ and “Use dustbins “.
The children were taught the meaning of Principles of waste management. They were taught how long different kinds of waste take to decompose through a fun activity. The children took part in a discussion on proper disposal of waste, where they were also encouraged to ask questions about waste and the problems of garbage around them. They painted a cloth banner and drew several kinds of posters with headings such as “Clean Bhagsu , Green Bhagsu “, ”Waste Warriors “and “Please Use Dustbins”. A junkyard competition was held where children made several useful items and paintings out of the waste.
Prizes and refreshments were handed out at the end of session and the volunteers were thanked for their hard work.

Conclusion Waste Warriors is not about cleaning. It is about transformation-the transformation of mountains, cities and most importantly the transformation of the mind and hearts of people. Keeping this view in mind I joined Waste Warriors to create awareness in the hearts of the people of Doon by telling them about the harmful effects of the improper waste disposal not only on the environment but also on people’s lives. I wish to take this movement further and spread it all across India. If each person takes responsibility for the waste he generates then surely one day India is going to be a clean and green country and I will consider my mission accomplished. After joining Waste Warriors I have got a new perspective towards the world. Instead of viewing garbage with disdain I now look at it with an opportunity for development and transformation

Learning from project:
The 45 days of internship helped me in learning a lot of important and essential aspects, which are going to be of great experience for the rest of my career. We learnt many of the practical aspects of running an organization and the problems faced by it for the smooth and effective functioning like non-cooperative behavior of government authorities and the local businesses.
By working at Waste Warriors, I have come to know about the waste management sector of our country. By doing fieldwork and primary surveys, I have come to know about the ground reality and the problems people face in India. I have had a first-hand experience working in field and have a deep understanding of the problems faced and am now fully capable to try and make models for its solutions. I have learnt of all the business opportunities that can be developed through garbage and daily waste. The 45-day internship has boosted my confidence and provided an incentive to me to work more towards waste management and proper waste disposal. Also it has enhanced my communication skills and my expertise in handling social media platform.
It helped in understanding the informal ways of functioning and the loopholes in waste management sector and the profit that can be made out of “waste” through various methods in the country. It also helped me in improving on my personality traits like creativity, curiosity, empathy, enthusiasm, discipline, punctuality, and following work ethics. It helped me in developing competency as general clinical social work practitioners, awareness and education about a variety of social problems and issues, learning about different sections of the society and respecting all, working in a group and experience in crisis evaluation and developing , knowing my abilities and working upon them. It helped in analyzing the impact of social policies on client systems, workers, agencies, and diverse groups within society. It gave me an opportunity for use of oral and written communication skills differentially with a variety of Client populations, colleagues and other members of the community, appropriate use of supervision to increase professional competence in generalist social work practice, clarify appropriate boundaries between the personal and professional self in social work practice and to recognize the importance of the social worker's role of promoting social justice both personally and professionally.