In brief
In Zanzibar’s tourism‑heavy island, a social enterprise called Chako Zanzibar recycles discarded glass bottles into market‑ready items such as vases and glasses, creating jobs for local women. Mwanamkuu Mussa, a mother of four, turned the work at Chako into a new livelihood that pays school fees and covers medical costs. Since 2012, Chako has prevented over five million bottles from ending up in landfills, trained more than 400 people and is shaping a cleaner, more economically vibrant community.
In Zanzibar’s Bustling Stone Town, a new kind of entrepreneurial spirit is growing from discarded glass bottles. Women in the community, led by the social enterprise Chako Zanzibar, turn waste from hotels into useful products, creating money for families and a cleaner environment.
After teaching at a nursery, 52‑year‑old Mwanamkuu Mussa joined the venture in 2021. Since then, she has built a new livelihood by turning broken bottles into vases, glasses and lamps. The income she earns helps pay her children’s school fees, medical bills and supports a DVD library she owns.
Chako Zanzibar was founded in 2012 by Dutch entrepreneur Anneloes Roelandschap and her partner after they saw how tourism produced both jobs and waste. The enterprise collects glass bottles and plastic from hotels and resorts, cleans the material, and designs products that tourists buy as souvenirs. The project now keeps more than five million bottles out of landfills and has trained over 400 local people, according to Roelandschap.
Mussa says the work has given her “a step closer to building a home for my family.” Her next goal is a house for her four children.