Timorese youth tackle waste and unemployment, one bottle at a time

Timor-Leste is a tiny country with a huge trash problem. Water is not potable -- as a result, plastic bottles of all sizes can be found everywhere, marring the country’s natural beauty and creating hazardous health and environmental conditions. The problem is especially glaring in the capital city of Dili, where the bottles are an eyesore in a town that serves as the hub for the country’s ambitious tourism development agenda. A small group of Timorese university students have a plan to clean up Dili, and eventually the rest of the country, bottle by bottle. Making Timor-Leste Beautiful is the brainchild of UNDP and the Timor-Leste Hopeseller Leadership Center, an NGO created and managed by youth.

Making Timor-Leste Beautiful emphasizes the role youth have to play in the aspirations and development of their country. Approximately 60 percent of the country’s 1.2 million people are under 25. An estimated 61.5 per cent of this population lack viable employment or income-generation opportunities.By targeting youth involvement, Hopeseller is providing income-generating opportunities throughout the entire process. Around 20 youths are now being employed to handle the cleaning and cutting of bottles. Profits are folded back into the business to eventually expand beyond Dili and its environs.

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Source & Copyright: UNDP