{{short description|Gambian recycling activist}} '''Isatou Ceesay''' (born 1972) is a Gambian activist and social entrepreneur, sometimes referred to as the '''Queen of Recycling'''''.''<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/45358683/gambian-social-entrepreneur-isatou-ceesay-makes-fashion-from-plastic|title='These purses have saved many lives'|work=BBC News|language=en|access-date=2019-11-01}}</ref> She initiated a recycling movement called ''One Plastic Bag'' in ''the Gambia''. Through this movement, she has trained women in The Gambia to recycle plastic waste into sellable products, providing them with a source of income.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.responsiblebusiness.com/news/africas-news/five-female-activists-who-are-changing-the-world/|title=Five female activists who are changing the world|date=2019-03-08|website=Responsible Business|language=en|access-date=2019-11-01|archive-date=2019-11-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101121755/https://www.responsiblebusiness.com/news/africas-news/five-female-activists-who-are-changing-the-world/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://climateheroes.org/heroes/isatou-ceesay-queen-plastic-recycling-gambia/|title=Isatou Ceesay, Queen of Plastic Recycling, The Gambia|website=Climate Heroes|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-01|archive-date=2019-10-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018150912/https://climateheroes.org/heroes/isatou-ceesay-queen-plastic-recycling-gambia/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
== Early years and education == Ceesay grew up on a farm in the small village of N’jau in Gambia. Following her father's death and due to social and economic constraints affecting women at the time, she was unable to complete a formal education and left school for financial reasons. She subsequently began making and selling toys from scraps of clothing and wood, which were sold locally.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=Isatou Ceesay: Turning Waste to Wealth – Climate Heroes |url=https://climateheroes.org/isatou-ceesay-turning-waste-to-wealth/ |access-date=2025-12-26 |language=en-GB}}</ref>
Using her earnings and a small inheritance, Ceesay enrolled at the Gambia Technical Institute, where she trained as a secretary.<ref name=":4" /> She later participated in a U.S. Peace Corps program, through which she gained knowledge relevant to community-based development initiatives.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sarahbeekmans.com/isatou-ceesay/|title=Isatou Ceesay the Recycling Queen from the Gambia {{!}} Horn Necklace|last=Beekmans|first=Sarah|date=2018-09-26|website=Sarah Beekmans - Bali|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-01}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://easyscienceforkids.com/isatou-ceesay/|title=All Facts for Kids about Isatou Ceesay|date=2018-07-02|website=Easy Science For Kids|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-01}}</ref>
'''Career'''
Nearly twenty years later, Ceesay observed that even the main streets of N’jau were heavily affected by waste accumulation, including discarded plastics, tins, tires, household waste, and especially plastic bags, often surrounded by standing water that attracted malaria-carrying mosquitoes.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Sedlock |first=Charlotte |title=Women's History Month: Isatou Ceesay |url=https://blog.apeelsciences.com/womens-history-month-isatou-ceesay |access-date=2025-12-26 |website=blog.apeelsciences.com |language=en}}</ref> Public spaces such as playgrounds, food markets, and animal feeding areas were located near these waste sites, with residents largely unaware of the associated health and environmental risks. As a result, the village experienced livestock deaths caused by the ingestion of plastic, as well as recurring outbreaks of malaria and other diseases, due to the absence of an organized waste disposal system beyond dumping refuse behind homes.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=LoveYourKids |date=2018-07-02 |title=All Facts for Kids about Isatou Ceesay |url=https://easyscienceforkids.com/isatou-ceesay/ |access-date=2025-12-26 |website=Easy Science For Kids |language=en-us}}</ref>
In addition, economic hardship led some residents to burn plastic waste for cooking and warmth, further contributing to health and environmental concerns.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":6" /> These conditions prompted Ceesay to take action. Drawing on her experience with recycling and upcycling acquired through the Peace Corps, and working with a local women’s group, she developed a method of reusing plastic bags to create purses for sale. Participants collected, cleaned, and cut plastic bags into yarn-like strands, commonly referred to as “plarn,” which were then woven into small handbags.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":6" /> Approximately ten plastic bags were required to produce each item.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" />
Despite these efforts, the initiative initially faced social resistance, as prevailing norms discouraged women from engaging in income-generating work outside the household, and participants were criticized for collecting waste materials. Doubts were also raised regarding the women’s ability to manage the project.<ref name=":4" /> Nevertheless, Ceesay transported the products to a nearby city, where the first batch sold out, enabling the project to expand. The initiative began generating income for participating women, contributing to household financial stability, and ultimately led to the establishment of the N’jau Recycling and Income Generation Group (NRIGG).<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" />
Ceesay continued to support the group’s development by assisting members with financial literacy, including opening bank accounts, and by establishing a skills center in N’jau focused on vocational, professional, and life skills training.<ref name=":4" /> The center and its operating model have since expanded, producing a range of goods from different types of waste, including compost, jewelry, beads, armchairs, and stools, and selling products in larger markets, including the United States.<ref name=":4" />
The project was later formally recognized as a community-based organization in The Gambia under the name NRIGG. As of recent reports, Ceesay works with more than 11,000 people, and NRIGG operates in four communities across The Gambia.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/may/01/small-african-recycling-project-tackling-mountainous-rubbish-problem|title=How a small African recycling project tackles a mountainous rubbish problem|last=Webster|first=Mike|date=2014-05-01|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-11-01|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref name=":2" />
== Awards and recognition == * In 2012, Ceesay was honored with the International Alliance for Women Difference Maker Award in Washington, D.C., United States<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://allafrica.com/stories/201207100467.html|title=Gambian Woman to Receive TIAW Award|last=|first=|date=2012-07-10|website=All Africa|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2019-11-01}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tiaw.org/resource/collection/581E64AE-930D-472A-8CAA-BCE515E7DAFF/2012_WODA_100_Winners_Stories.doc|title=TIAW World of Difference 100 Award Winners 2012|last=|first=|year=2012|website=The International Alliance for Women|format=PDF|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2019-11-01}}{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> * Her story was published in a book authored by Miranda Paul and Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4677-1608-6|title=One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia|last=|first=|date=|website=www.publishersweekly.com|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2019-11-01}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.granitemedia.org/2016/12/one-plastic-bag-isatou-ceesay-and-the-recycling-woemn-of-the-gambia/|title=One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Woemn of the Gambia – Granite Media|last1=December 8|first1=Pam Smith|last2=AM|first2=2016 at 8:54|date=8 December 2016|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-01}}</ref> * Ceesay was recognized as one of the 100 Most Reputable Africans for 2025 by Reputable Poll International.<ref>{{Cite news |title=GRF/RPI Unveil 100 Most Reputable Africans 2025|url=https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2025/01/04/grf-rpi-unveil-100-most-reputable-africans-2025/#:~:text=Isatou%20Ceesay's%20innovative%20approach%20to,social%20change%20across%20the%20continent |access-date=2025-01-10 |newspaper=This Day|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Nigeria |first=Guardian |date=2025-01-06 |title=Atuwatse III, Saraki, Badenoch, others make list of 100 Most Reputable Africans |url=https://guardian.ng/news/atuwatse-iii-saraki-badenoch-others-make-list-of-100-most-reputable-africans/ |location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=2025-01-10 |newspaper=The Guardian|language=en-US}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ceesay, Isatou}} Category:Living people Category:1972 births Category:Gambian activists Category:Gambian women activists