Accra, July 25, GNA – The Paediatric Society of Ghana (PSG) has launched the ”Earth project” and out-doored child ambassadors to promote good environmental practices which will improve the quality of health of Ghanaian children.
The project seeks to empower the next generation to attach importance to the environment.
The Society wishes to launch the project in other regions across the country where school children would be the target population in promoting safe environmental and hygienic practices.
Dr Hilda Mantebea Boye, the President of PSG, speaking at the launch, held at the Ministry of Health Basic School, Korle-Bu, said the idea was initiated during the PSG’s 2022 annual general meeting, which saw the need to create awareness of environmental health and safe waste degradation practices among children to prevent some of the diseases that affected them.
As such the PSG theme for the year 2023 is “Environmental Health and Children’s Well-Being: A Shared Responsibility”.
“We are beginning to see the effect of air pollution in our hospitals with children reporting various respiratory diseases. Though the full extent of the problem is unknown, it exists” she said.
Dr Boye said the project was an important one because even though the government and individuals may be doing their part, more stakeholders need to be involved to make the environment safe.
Dr Emmanuel Oppong, the PSG Vice President, explained that the earth project ambassadors, all pupils of the MOH Basic School, would be empowered to lead the charge by highlighting the importance of tree planting, environmental conservation, and promoting cleanliness in their communities.
“We cannot continue to sit in the hospital and wait for children to be brought with various preventable illnesses, hence we have taken the initiative to tackle environmental pollution to cause a behavioural change,” he said.
GNA