Mozambique
citizens standing together with shared purpose and unwavering commitment
Facing formidable environmental challenges across its 2,700km coastline, Mozambique has transformed adversity into inspiration through World Cleanup Day. Despite struggling with deforestation, waste management crises, and devastating cyclones, this nation has emerged as a global leader in environmental mobilization.
What began as a grassroots initiative has evolved into a national movement of extraordinary scale. Let's Do It Mozambique, led by Repensar, has achieved what many thought impossible: growing from 200,000 volunteers during the pandemic to an astonishing 3.25 million participants in 2023—earning Mozambique first place globally for volunteer participation and engagement.
“World Cleanup Day isn’t just an event here—it’s become part of our national identity. When schools, communities, and institutions unite for a common purpose, we discover collective power we never knew existed.”
This remarkable mobilization has catalyzed tangible change across the country. The Glass Bottle House project in Macaneta stands as a powerful symbol of this transformation, repurposing approximately 200,000 bottles into an educational center that demonstrates practical waste solutions through circular economy principles.
Beyond cleanup activities, WCD has become Mozambique's most effective platform for non-formal environmental education, changing how generations understand their relationship with waste and resources. Each cleanup event builds civic awareness and environmental responsibility that extends far beyond a single day of action.
Mozambique's World Cleanup Day success delivers a compelling message to the global community: environmental transformation happens when citizens stop waiting for solutions and instead become the solution themselves. When people unite for their environment, they discover capabilities beyond what they imagined possible.
The true impact isn't measured just in tons of waste collected or volunteers mobilized—it's in the awakening of millions to their own capacity for creating lasting environmental change. Mozambique shows us that even nations facing significant challenges can lead the world in environmental action when citizens stand together with shared purpose and unwavering commitment.
Since 2018, World Cleanup Day has become a catalyst for positive change across the nation. Led by Nipe Fagio, this movement has mobilized nearly 53,000 volunteers who have collected over 28,700 kg of waste from 412 sites, cleaning approximately 130 km² of land.
These cleanup efforts have revealed critical issues: inadequate waste segregation, limited recycling infrastructure, and concerning statistics showing 95% of local manufacturers contributing to plastic pollution. According to NEMC (2023), only 12% of waste receives proper management.
Tanzania
tackling significant environmental challenges through innovative waste management initiatives
Despite these challenges, Tanzania is making remarkable progress.
The World Cleanup Day has fostered valuable collaboration between communities, government officials, and private sector representatives, leading to meaningful policy discussions around circular economy solutions and stronger regulations against single-use plastics.
One of the most impactful outcomes is the Sustainable Environmental Education Programme (SEEP), launched by Let’s Do It World headquarters and which has transformed environmental education in Tanzanian schools. This initiative has engaged 65 secondary schools in Dar es Salaam, with 42 actively implementing green environmental projects. Through 150 workshops, SEEP has reached over 10,500 students, 200+ teachers, and numerous community members.
The results are tangible: nearly 28,000 kg of carbon dioxide reduced through tree planting, vegetable growing, recycling activities, and Zero Waste school models. SEEP Tanzania is cultivating the next generation of environmental leaders, ensuring sustainable practices continue long after cleanup events end.
This comprehensive approach demonstrates how community-driven initiatives can create lasting environmental change through education, collaboration, and sustained action.
Let's Do It Indonesia has emerged as a powerhouse within the global environmental movement, mobilizing an extraordinary 3.8 million participants for World Cleanup Day in 2024 alone. This represents just a fraction of their seven-year impact across Indonesia's diverse archipelago, from bustling urban centers to remote coastal villages.
Their success stems from strategic government partnerships, particularly with the Ministry of Environment, enabling nationwide implementation of innovative environmental initiatives. What truly sets their approach apart is the seamless integration of education with action, creating a comprehensive model for sustainable change.
The organization has revolutionized environmental education by embedding ecological principles into school curricula throughout Indonesia. Their multifaceted programs extend far beyond traditional cleanups to include practical skills development in eco-enzyme production, systematic waste segregation, and their innovative "waste-for-seeds" exchange program—directly connecting waste reduction efforts with reforestation initiatives.
Indonesia
Let's Do It Indonesia has emerged as a powerhouse within the global environmental movement
By strategically engaging students during their formative years, Let's Do It Indonesia cultivates environmental stewardship when young minds are most receptive to new concepts. This approach maximizes the potential for permanent behavioral change while building a generation equipped to tackle environmental challenges through both practical skills and advocacy.
The organization masterfully leverages Indonesia's community structures and harnesses youth enthusiasm to address the nation's significant waste management challenges, particularly the critical issue of marine plastic pollution. Their youth-centered programs promote immediate action while fostering long-term environmental commitment
Through structured mini-projects focusing on various waste management solutions, students develop practical environmental skills while making tangible ecological improvements in their communities. This comprehensive approach has built an impressive and continuously growing volunteer network, establishing Let's Do It Indonesia as one of the global movement's most influential national teams—demonstrating how worldwide environmental efforts can be effectively adapted to local contexts while maintaining international connection.
Ukraine's environmental movement Let’s Do It Ukraine stands as a powerful testament to human resilience. With 44 million pre-war inhabitants now facing unprecedented challenges, Ukraine confronts environmental devastation across nearly one-third of its territory—211,000 square kilometers requiring extensive de-mining operations.
The environmental toll is staggering: thousands of bombed buildings, destroyed infrastructure, and military waste have created widespread contamination. Reconstruction efforts alone are projected to generate over 5 million tonnes of construction debris. Yet amid this devastation, Ukraine's commitment to environmental stewardship has never wavered.
World Cleanup Day has emerged as a profound symbol of national resistance and ecological commitment. In 2024, despite the full-scale war, an extraordinary 404,121 Ukrainians participated in this initiative—establishing it as the country's largest social eco-movement and a global example of perseverance. Between 2021 and 2024, over 1.1 million participants collected more than 120,000 tonnes of waste, consistently ranking Ukraine among Europe's top countries for World Cleanup Day participation.
Ukraine
Let’s Do It Ukraine stands as a powerful testament to human resilience
These cleanup activities have transcended mere waste collection, evolving into a multifaceted movement integrating education, psychological support, and community rebuilding. Local leaders organize environmental actions in relatively safe areas, often combining them with humanitarian assistance—creating spaces for healing and resilience even near frontline regions.
The Let's Do It Ukraine SOS Project exemplifies this transformation, expanding from an emergency response into a movement of dignity and care. Its humanitarian mission has reached over 1.19 million individuals, managing 978 humanitarian shipments exceeding 75,920 kg through 18 distribution hubs across the country. The initiative has established shelter networks, renovated educational institutions, addressed flooding disasters, and created essential infrastructure like public water wells.
This massive logistical operation—involving 435 minibuses, 202 trucks, 3,932 pallets, 469 drivers, and nearly 9,000 volunteers—earned United Nations recognition with the UN SDG 2022 Honourable Mention.
Beyond statistics lie countless human stories: restored schools, warm meals served, and children receiving backpacks—all reflecting Ukraine's unwavering spirit. Even during war, Ukrainians refuse to surrender—they unite, rebuild, and protect what matters most, their environment included.
Colombia
innovative approach to waste education
Since 2018, Vamos a Hacerlo Colombia has orchestrated an impressive environmental movement, conducting World Cleanup Day cleanup campaigns across more than 350 locations nationwide. These initiatives have mobilized over 120,000 dedicated volunteers who have collectively removed an extraordinary 5,000 tonnes of waste from Colombia's landscapes, with more than 3,000 tonnes successfully diverted to recycling facilities.
What makes this achievement particularly remarkable is its grassroots nature, thriving despite limited governmental support. The movement has strategically penetrated educational institutions, military establishments, and non-governmental organizations, creating a diverse coalition of environmental advocates. This complements Colombia's formal waste management sector, which employs approximately 20,000 workers, alongside an estimated 60,000 informal waste collectors who make vital contributions to the nation's recycling efforts.
At the heart of Colombia's environmental transformation lies an innovative approach to waste education. Transformative workshops on source separation have fundamentally changed how communities understand their consumption patterns and waste impacts, cultivating environmental stewardship across the nation.
The Silva Digester Paca technique has emerged as a revolutionary solution for organic waste transformation, converting what many dismiss as rubbish into valuable resources. This indigenous-inspired method has spread through hundreds of communities, fundamentally altering Colombians' relationship with organic materials.
The ultimate aspiration transcends perpetual cleanup campaigns—Vamos a Hacerlo Colombia seeks to cultivate a culture where environmental responsibility becomes inherent to Colombian identity.
By strategically supporting and empowering community leaders, the movement ensures these practices evolve beyond mere habits to become intrinsic elements of national culture.
Until this transformation fully materializes, dedicated volunteers persist in their mission, creating sustainable, waste-conscious communities throughout Colombia and establishing a permanent legacy of environmental stewardship that will endure for generations to come.
