By Michael Foli Jackidy
Ho (V/R), June 17, GNA – The Volta Regional Minister, Mr James Gunu, has supported the Mawuleme Movement, a youth-led voluntary sanitation group, with 10 pairs of Wellington boots and 10 wheelbarrows to strengthen its efforts to keep Ho Municipality and other parts of the Volta Region clean.
Presenting the items on behalf of the Minister on Tuesday, Alhaji Mohammed Avona Akape, Chief Director of the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC), commended the group for its commitment to improving environmental sanitation and encouraged members to sustain their efforts.
He said maintaining cleanliness in Ho was essential to preserving the municipality’s reputation as Ghana’s “Oxygen City.”
“The only way we can sustain the Oxygen City status of Ho is through consistent sanitation activities and collective responsibility. The Mawuleme Movement has demonstrated its commitment to this cause, and we hope its activities will eventually extend to other parts of the region,” he said.
Alhaji Akape also urged residents to observe sanitation regulations and adopt proper waste disposal practices to make their communities cleaner, healthier, and safer.
Madam Stella Kumedzro, Volta Regional Environmental Health Officer, commended the Mawuleme Movement for complementing government efforts to improve sanitation in the region.
She said sanitation was a shared responsibility that required the active participation of government institutions, stakeholders, and community members.
“What the Mawuleme Movement has taken upon itself is commendable. Their activities will go a long way in maintaining the cleanliness of Ho and preserving its Oxygen City status,” she said.
Madam Kumedzro called on other youth groups, organisations and individuals to emulate the initiative and contribute to environmental cleanliness.
She said environmental health officers in the region would continue to support the movement through supervision, monitoring, enforcement, and public education.
“If we have groups volunteering to clear drains, remove debris and clean open spaces, it is our responsibility to support and encourage them. We also want to assure them that we will strictly enforce sanitation by-laws against individuals who deliberately dump refuse into drains or engage in other unlawful practices,” she said.
Madam Kumedzro noted that indiscriminate waste disposal undermined the efforts of sanitation volunteers and posed serious public health risks.
Receiving the items on behalf of the group, Mr Prince Yao Amevi, Convenor of the Mawuleme Movement, thanked the Regional Minister for honouring his promise after a recent meeting with the group.
He said protective equipment and working tools were essential to safeguarding volunteers and improving the efficiency of their operations.
“If you are not adequately protected, you may become infected by the very waste you intend to remove. The Wellington boots and wheelbarrows will therefore go a long way to support our activities,” he said.
Mr Amevi said the movement’s long-term vision was to make Ghana the cleanest country in Africa, beginning with Ho and subsequently extending activities across the Volta Region.
“Our immediate goal is to make Ho the cleanest city in the country and eventually make the Volta Region the cleanest region in Ghana. From there, we will extend our activities nationwide,” he said.
He appealed for support from individuals, institutions and corporate organisations, stressing that although the initiative was voluntary, adequate resources were needed to sustain its operations.
“We need tools, tricycles and other logistics to enable us to work effectively and safely. We invite everyone to support the movement, either by joining us or contributing resources,” he added.
Mr Amevi emphasised that poor sanitation in one community could easily affect neighbouring communities, citing diseases such as cholera as examples of public health threats that knew no boundaries.
“Sanitation is everyone’s responsibility. If one community is dirty, it eventually affects everybody. We must all work together to keep our environment clean,” he said.
He also disclosed that the movement, in collaboration with the Ho Municipal Assembly, was establishing sanitation clubs in basic schools under an initiative known as the Mawuleme Eco Brigade.
The programme will educate pupils on waste segregation, recycling and environmental stewardship.
Under the initiative, inorganic waste, particularly plastics, will be sold for recycling, while organic waste will be processed into manure to support school farming projects.
The organisers said the initiative would help inculcate environmental consciousness in children at an early age and contribute to sustainable waste management practices in the municipality.
GNA
Edited By: Maxwell Awumah/Kenneth Odeng Adade