Hi everyone,
I’m Han, writing to you from Taiwan. I’ve recently stepped into this community, feeling a deep resonance with the principles of the Wellbeing Economy. My days are mostly spent at Ngóo-kak—a name translating to “Five Cents” in Taiwanese—an NGO where we walk alongside waste pickers.
These individuals serve as the quiet, essential heartbeat of our recycling system. Despite their role, they often drift through the gaps of the formal economy, facing low wages and physical dangers without the shelter of an institutional safety net. Our mission centers on shifting this landscape through advocacy and public education, working hand-in-hand with the pickers to ensure their labor is finally seen and valued. This feels like a practical application of Donut Economics: we want to make sure that as they contribute to our environmental health, they aren’t pushed below the social foundation into hardship.
We are currently weaving several threads of action together:
-
Finding friendly urban spaces where they can store materials safely.
-
Supporting their efforts to form unions and find a collective voice.
-
Recording those “glimmering moments” that define their resilience and dignity.
Fueling these initiatives requires more than passion; it needs financial grounding. I am reaching out to see if any of you might point me toward international grants or funding specifically for Wellbeing Economy projects or social justice in the environmental sector. Any suggestions, leads, or even just a quick chat would be wonderful.
You can find our current work documented here: https://ngookak.wixsite.com/website (Please note the content is in Chinese for the time being.)
Looking forward to connecting with you all.
Warmly,
Han