WIEGO and partners have published a 12-city study assessing the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on informal workers and their households, with a focus on domestic workers, home-based workers, street vendors, and waste pickers. 

Among other findings, the study confirmed that, in the absence of sufficient local government support, informal workers took their own health and safety initiatives and invested in protective protocols in spite of heavily constrained resources. While government relief efforts were an important source of support where they reached workers, they were limited and uneven in reach, and frequently undermined by local anti-worker policies.

You can download the study here: COVID-19 Crisis and the Informal Economy

Annette McGill

Yirah Conteh of FEDURP and SDI reported how is organisation is training informal settlers in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on how to collect information in their communities. (See slide below)

"We need to come up with a resilience plan in each community, that can inform the government."

Working with the Office of National Security and Disaster Management, FEDURP have developed a disaster management committee to respond to climate change in the informal settlements. The work has been piloted in 10 communities and is supported by Freetown Council. 

Lessons learned include: 

• It's important that you make sure the plan is responsive to communities - their ideas and knowledge can be passed on to the government. 
• The community planning platform allows the community to come together with different service providers to discuss their needs.

Annette McGill