Ghana’s first news focus radio station, Info Radio together with THEIA International, an international Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) based in Germany, has begun talks with school children and youth in rural parts of the Upper West Region to conscientize the young people about the need to keep their communities clean.
Under a project dubbed Youth for Clean Communities (Y4CC), children and youth are earmarked to share their knowledge and thoughts on how to maintain the best sanitary and hygienic practices in their communities.
The Y4CC aimed at roping in the perspectives of children who live in peri-urban and rural communities of waste generation, disposal and management to create a systemic and sustainable approach to dealing with the waste menace.
Speaking at an engagement forum with pupils of Yaru Junior High School in the Wa East District, Mr Gabriel Mwini, Managing Director of Info Radio, explained that the project was the second phase of an earlier project, Action for Clean Communities (A4CC), being implemented in the Wa Municipality earlier in March 2022.
He told the children that the project was being undertaken in the school to create a learning curve for knowledge-sharing on how they managed their waste, including ways of reducing, reusing and recycling waste.
Mr Mwini said the project had a radio campaign component, Children’s World, where children would have the opportunity to speak about their communities and the need for environmental consciousness to their colleague children, the adult population, stakeholders and the generality of the world.
He said the objective of the programme was to give voices to children aged 10 – 17 years on how they see their communities and what they want their communities to be now and in the future.
Founder and Managing Director of THEIA International, Anja Carron said the focus of the project was on the children because it was through them that a sustainable change could be achieved as she believed that change should start at the grassroots.
She reiterated that the project was a knowledge-sharing one among the children, the community and partners in adopting best, sustainable practices for managing waste.
“…and maybe you show us what is sustainable…, maybe you are already perfectly doing it and we can learn from you, maybe you share your tradition with us, maybe you have some fairytales for us, these are some of the things we would like to explore with you,” she said.
She said children had wonderful ideas and if given the opportunity, could positively change a lot of things in their communities, countries as well as global levels.
Miss Carron said the project, therefore, would build the children’s capacities of being confident and assertive in talking about changes and best practices for building clean and regenerative communities.
“…these kids know we have a voice and we can change something in our community…so with you here today, we would like to set up the fire in yourselves, … to give you the idea that you do something very important to you, and that you play a role in the global setting not only here: here is important, here is where the change will take place,” she explained.
The Headteacher of the school, Mr Elyasu Halitu expressed gratitude to Info Radio and THEIA International for selecting the Yaru Junior High School to be part of the project.
He assured the organizations that he would do everything possible within his means to ensure the success of the project in the school.
Pupils of the school expressed happiness about the project and said they were prepared to learn and share more knowledge as the project progresses.