Anaafo youth turn storm drain into football alley to fight open defecation

The youth of Anaafo in Cape Coast have turned a storm drain, noted for open defecation and other unhealthy practices, into a football alley.

The drain, that chokes each time it rains as a result of the huge pile of rubbish and faecal matter, looks clean and hundreds of people are treated to good football to stop open defecation and the dumping of refuse in the storm drain.

Joynews' Richard Kwadwo Nyarko who joined the hundreds of spectators to watch the game of football being played not on the football field, but in a storm drain reports the excitment beaming on the faces of residents.

The issues of open defecation and other unsanitary conditions in Cape Coast continue to be a source of worry to city authorities.

According to the reporter, the participation of people in the game was unimaginable as over a hundred pair of eyes fix their gaze on a football match played in the storm drain.

Kwesi Badu,a youth leader in the area is over excited. He believes their new found love will help the youth in the community give up on some social vices they are engaged in.

"We have resorted to change the situations and the circumstances. We have decided to stop the pouring of refuse in the gutter and also discourage people from openly defecating in the gutter. We have painted the gutter and we will play our won league here. No one dares come to defecate here or throw refuse in here," he averred.

The gutter that chokes each time it rains because people defecate and throw all kinds of waste in , the youths assure will be a thing of the past. Nana Poku, the youth leader of Jackson street in Cape Coast is convinced using the storm drain this way will be environmentally beneficial " We realized that this gutter had been abused. people throw in all sort of things. you see people defecating in it (he points to about six people defecating at the other of the storm drain close to the sea.). We will change the narrative with the support of our leaders," he said.

The sustainable development goal, target 6.2 posits that by 2030 there should be access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations.

The Match between the 'Tampico boys' and the 'Do boys' is in the second half and the Tampico biys are riding high with. They are leading by 2 goals to one.