Pupils of A.M.E Zion School educated on sanitation
The Network for Societal Transformation (NEST), a youth focused organization, has, in collaboration with Zoom lion Ghana Limited, the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology and the United Nations Habitat, organized an environmental forum at the Mamprobi A. M. E Zion School in Accra to commemorate World Environmental Day which fell on June 5, 2010.
The objective of the forum was to educate school pupils living within the Chorkor, Dansoman and Mamprobi communities on sound environmental and sanitation practices.
The CEO for NEST, Francis Okyere, told Public Agenda that his organization is committed to raising responsible and diligent young leaders in the society, adding that they have already established Zoom kids clubs in some schools as a way of teaching children ways of keeping the environment clean right from childhood.
Speaking at the forum, Christopher Asiamah, the Chief Executive Officer of Focus Ghana, also an NGO, mentioned that the work force of the country could be lost if sanitation issues were not given much attention.
Explaining his reason, he observed that if young people died especially through Malaria and Cholera which are linked with poor sanitation, there was the likelihood of the nation losing her workforce, which will in turn retard the growth of the country.
Sanitation, according to him, does not only affect the individual causing the "mess" but the entire society since government revenue would be diverted to the treatment of self - caused illnesses at the expense of other pressing developmental needs.
Mr. Asiamah advised the children to clean their surroundings regularly and to let World Environmental Day serve as a reminder for them to plant more trees in order to protect the environment.
Kwesi Amok, the CEO of Nimba Community Support Services, also urged the children to learn several ways of recycling water sachets into shopping bags which would generate extra income for them as well as reduce the plastic waste problem in Ghana.
Citing an example, he displayed a copy of the shopping bag made of sachet water rubbers to the children, encouraging them to start making their own. This, he said, would reduce the pressure on the poly bags for shopping in the country.
The Presiding Pastor of the A.M.E Zion Church, Rev Peter E.T. Sefogah, on his part, mentioned that there was the need for a change in attitude towards the environment. This, for him, must begin with young people, since they are the future of the nation.
He equally added his voice to the call on the pupils to learn how to make shopping bags out of the water sachets.
Author: Gifty Mensah/Public Agenda