Invisible Workers, Laboring in the Shadows

Millions of people around the world work in jobs that aren’t formally recognized or afforded legal protections typical of wage earning jobs. They’re often not even thought of as legitimate work.

On this edition of Making Contact, we’re going to meet people making work where there is no work for them. From recyclers, to border couriers, to waste pickers, we’re exploring the informal labor sector and what some are doing to gain greater recognition, protections, and rights.

• Landon Goodwin, recycler and pastor and also featured in documentary Dogtown Redemption
• Aicha al Azzouzi border courier
• Salma al Azzouzi, Aicha’s oldest daughter
• Charles Gachanga Gichonge, creator of the Mustard Seed Courtyard clean-up campaign
• Antony Makau, Dandora resident
• Richard Munene, Dandora restaurant owner
• Sally Roever, Urban Policy Director for Women in Informal Employment Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO)
• Malati Gadgil, KKPKP