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A large community meeting seated under a tree in Gabat, blurred so no one can be identified, with a DASA team member seen from behind
Programs

Current project · Under way

Waste to Compost in Gabat

Turning household waste into compost with the Gabat community, to cut the waste-related risk factors that let diarrhoeal diseases such as cholera spread.

Runs
October 2026 to March 2027
Technical partner
Arcede

Community meeting at the start of the compost project · Gabat, Juba, October 2026

The problem

Why Gabat

Gabat lies beside the River Nile. It takes runoff from the neighbourhoods around it and floods in the rainy season, so rubbish left in the open ends up in drains, standing water and the river.

When DASA surveyed 38 flood-affected households here in 2022, solid waste was left uncollected in public areas around 37% of them. DASA asked for support for solid waste management in Gabat then. This project is that work.

Read DASA's 2022 report from Gabat

Dark standing water with litter on the ground beside a low wall
Waste and standing water after the floods · Gabat, Juba, 2022

Supply chain

How it works

Waste becomes compost, and compost becomes income for the community that makes it.
Plastic, glass, metalrecycled or safely disposed of1Waste in homes,streets and drains2Communitysorting3Communitycompost site4DASA buyschecked compost5Sold on to vendors,farms and gardens
Food and garden wasteCompostPlastic and other rubbishBuy-back payment

  1. 1

    Gather the waste

    Food and garden waste lies in homes, on streets, in drains and at dumpsites. Households and community clean-ups gather it.

  2. 2

    Sort in the community

    At community collection points, organic waste is kept apart. Plastic, glass, metal and other rubbish leave the stream, recycled where possible.

  3. 3

    Compost

    At the community compost site, trained members turn the organic waste into compost.

  4. 4

    DASA buys it back

    DASA buys compost that passes a quality check. The money goes to the community members who made it, which is the reason to keep sorting.

  5. 5

    Sell it on

    DASA sells the compost to vendors, resellers, farms and gardens. Finding that demand is part of the work: the project aims for two buyer agreements.

Evidence

How we will know it is working

Three measures, each counted from DASA's own records. They track waste and compost, not illness: the project does not count cholera cases.

  • Measure C

    Households dumping or burning waste

    The share of surveyed households whose main way of getting rid of waste is dumping it in the open or burning it.

    Start
    Measured in October 2026. Published once the survey has been checked.
    Aim
    Lower at the end of the project than at the start.
    Counted
    Household survey at the start and at the end (March 2027).

    No figure yet

  • Measure A

    Compost bought back

    Kilograms of mature compost that DASA buys back each month, counted only when it passes the quality check.

    Start
    Zero: there was no buy-back before the project.
    Aim
    Steady or rising each month once compost matures.
    Counted
    Monthly, from the first mature batch (December at the earliest).

    No figure yet

  • Measure B

    Compost sold

    Kilograms of compost delivered to buyers each month.

    Start
    Zero: there were no sales before the project.
    Aim
    First sales under at least one signed buyer agreement.
    Counted
    Monthly, from the first sales (January at the earliest).

    No figure yet

Six months

The plan and what it will deliver

October 2026 to March 2027
OctNovDecJanFebMar

  1. Setup and starting survey

  2. Prepare the compost site, find buyers

  3. Training, action days and collection

  4. Buy back compost that passes checks

  5. Sales to buyers

  6. End survey and guide for other communities

These are planning windows. The monthly updates record what actually happened.

Delivery targets

By March 2027. Counts start with the first monthly report.

  • Community compost sitetarget 1
  • Waste collection pointstarget 3
  • Compost trainingstarget 8
  • Community action daystarget 6
  • Adults taking parttarget 125

    75 women, 50 men

  • Agreements with compost buyerstarget 2
  • Guide for other communitiestarget 1

    How to run the same scheme

Field record

Monthly updates

From DASA's monthly field reports

  1. Latest update · October to early November 2026

    The project started work in Gabat. The community gave a plot for a demonstration compost site and the first compost bin is built.

    Done

    • Project set up after funding was confirmed in October.
    • Starting survey on 23 October: 45 households (25 women and 20 men answering) and four risk hotspots mapped: informal dumpsites, blocked drains, flood-prone ground and open defecation areas. It is the starting point the project will be measured against.
    • Community meeting held in Gabat.
    • The community gave DASA a 6 by 4 metre plot for a demonstration compost site.
    • Land cleared, pits dug and a demonstration compost bin built.
    • First compost materials bought locally: sawdust, dry leaves and goat dung.

    Next

    • Compost training for community members.
    • Start household waste collection.

Sources

Background reading