India generates 15 million tons of plastic waste every year but only ¼ is recycled. The Safai Saathis, the waste pickers who collect plastic waste for a living, are mostly women. They play an important role in keeping the environment clean, and projects such as Esperanza ensure their social protection and create opportunities for safe, sustainable, and dignified working conditions. ​​ Founded in 2018, Esperanza is a social enterprise that works with the Safai Saathis to collect waste in the environment and recycle it in their facilities, to later sell the plastic as a raw material. One of the missions of Esperanza is to provide dignified jobs for women, and for this reason, women represent over 60% of their employees.​

They believe that educating school children is the first step to building a society. With extra funding, they can invest in raising awareness and education activities, medical camps, material handling, and build more collection centers in northern India to maximize the recovery of plastic waste​.