The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) has announced its support for the International Solid Waste Association’s (ISWA) Scholarship Programme, which funds education and provides clothing for children living and working on open dumpsites in Nicaragua.

To promote the campaign, SWANA is launching an ISWA Scholarship Programme GoFundMe page, where people can make donations, learn more about the cause and share information about the campaign with others.

“This is such a worthwhile cause,” said SWANA Executive Director and CEO David Biderman in a statement. “Providing financial support to facilitate bright futures for these children is very meaningful; without the ISWA Scholarship Programme, their lives would be very different. I urge senior management and other professionals in the solid waste industry to contribute to this fund in order to remove child workers from these dangerous dumpsites.”

In addition to fundraising efforts, SWANA is educating its members and solid waste professionals about the cause via its social media channels, newsletter and website.

“When we started the campaign to close the world’s biggest dumpsites, we said it clearly: it’s about people, not waste,” said ISWA President Antonis Mavropoulos in a statement. “With ISWA’s Scholarship Programme, we want to demonstrate that education for children should be a key element in every effort to manage the social challenges involved around dumpsites. SWANA is the strongest National Member of ISWA, and I believe that it could be one of the most generous, too.”

Interim results of all SWANA-related fundraising efforts will be announced in September at the ISWA World Congress & WASTECON 2017 in Baltimore.