They are wearing the thick latex gloves they use while sweeping the streets; the empty pushcarts and the idle broomsticks, however, are being pushed, thankfully, by their colleagues who are a little ahead of them. The three women look slightly fatigued, but they seem to be enjoying the less demanding hours and less daunting weather.
When they arrived at the place around 5:00 am, leaving their houses an hour earlier, it was drizzling. As it is the rainy season this time of year, sometimes the day breaks with a downpour, making it unbearable to move, let alone deal with the garbage thrown overnight on the streets of a city, which six years ago was dubbed “the sixth filthiest in the entire world” by a Forbes Magazine rating. But they can’t afford to be late. They have to grapple with the most arduous parts of their tasks before the hustle and bustle of life seizes the day.
Equipped with cleaning appliances provided by their employer, the Addis Abeba City Sanitation Administration Agency (AACSAA), they started their crusades against litter on the respective roads they were assigned to.
“We are particularly aware of the prominence this area holds,” says Selamawit Gebrewold, 38, one of the three women, pointing towards the US$ 200 million worth office of the African Union (AU) headquarters standing a few hundred yards away. “A lot of diplomats and leaders pass through it. So we are extra careful to keep it clean.”
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