Earth Replenishers Foundation launches maiden environmental campaign

The Earth Replenishers Foundation (ERF), a non-governmental organization (NGO) has launched its maiden campaign on environmental sanitation at the Effort School Complex in Dansoman.

With the launch, the Foundation would begin its campaign to schools all over the country using music, drama and poetry to educate school children on the need to avoid defecating, urinating and littering rubbish in the society and help ensure environmental cleanliness.

Speaking at the launch on the theme: “Let the music speak; clean up the popo, clean up the litter, clean up the wee-wee for 2012 and beyond”, Mr. Moses B. Al-Hassan, Director of ERF, said the name of the Foundation was derived from Genesis 1:28 in the Bible.

He said the objective of the Foundation was to create awareness among the people so that, “we do not destroy what the Creator has given us but to replenish it through environmental sanitation, encouraging biodiversity and fulfilling the sacred commandment of God.”

Mr. Al-Hassan said it was very important to adopt an appropriate method of sending out messages to Ghanaians and the world at large through music, drama and poetry recitals that would have a strong and long lasting effect on the memory of the public.

“We believe that verbal or visual information given to an individual continually over a considerable period tends to stay in the subconscious mind of the individual,” he said.

Mr. Al-Hassan said the management of sanitation in the country was quite at its nadir hence the constant reports of cholera outbreaks, malaria and many other communicable and non communicable diseases.

He said, “the campaign against filth in the society is a hydra-headed problem that must be tackled from all angles hence the need for individuals, organizations, corporate bodies and developmental partners to collaborate to help change the minds of the people.

Earlier, the Foundation organized a health walk for seven schools to Glife and toured the polluted banks of the Tetekpo lagoon in the community.

During the walk, they carried placards with inscriptions like: “Let us avoid filth”, “fale fale feemo mli hewale yor”, “Let’s eat good food for good health”, “Keep your environment clean”, “We must always put our rubbish into the dustbin” and “Malaria free depends on clean environment”.**