Waste is Wealth: The Untold Story of Esther Mirembe

The document profiles Esther Mirembe and the Namungona Women Empowerment Initiative, a savings group in a Kampala informal settlement. It details how the group provides pro-poor loans to women, converts waste from blocked drains into charcoal, and diversified into soap and mask production during the COVID-19 pandemic. The case study highlights the role of the National Slum Dwellers Federation of Uganda and Slum Dwellers International in promoting locally-led adaptation and resilience against climate change and disasters.

• The Namungona Women Empowerment Initiative provides low-interest loans to members who are often excluded from commercial banking due to high interest rates and requirements for land titles.
• To address flooding caused by blocked drains in their settlement, the group began producing charcoal from the waste in 2018, later increasing production by investing in a molding machine.
• The group diversified its income streams during the COVID-19 pandemic by producing liquid soap and sewing masks to compensate for the loss of customers who left the city for rural areas.
• Through a knowledge exchange program supported by a 2021 Gobeshona Global Conference Catalytic Grant, the group learned strategies for locally-led adaptation to climate change effects in informal settlements.

APA

Nandudu, S., Sultana, Z., & Akter, H. (2022). Waste is Wealth: The Untold Story of Esther Mirembe. Global Resilience Partnership. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/waste-is-wealth-the-untold-story-of-esther-mirembe/

Chicago

Nandudu, Sarah, Zakia Sultana, and Hamida Akter. Waste is Wealth: The Untold Story of Esther Mirembe. Global Resilience Partnership, 2022. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/waste-is-wealth-the-untold-story-of-esther-mirembe/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Nandudu |first1=Sarah |last2=Sultana |first2=Zakia |last3=Akter |first3=Hamida |title=Waste is Wealth: The Untold Story of Esther Mirembe |publisher=Global Resilience Partnership |date=29 March 2022 |url=https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/waste-is-wealth-the-untold-story-of-esther-mirembe/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{nandudu2022waste, author = {Nandudu, Sarah and Sultana, Zakia and Akter, Hamida}, title = {{Waste is Wealth: The Untold Story of Esther Mirembe}}, institution = {Global Resilience Partnership}, year = {2022}, month = mar, url = {https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/waste-is-wealth-the-untold-story-of-esther-mirembe/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }