Girls' Environmental Education Project launched at St Mary's Sec.

Accra, June 4, GNA - A Girls' Environmental Education Project designed to educate girls about environmental problems relevant within their own communities was on Thursday launched at the Saint Mary's Secondary School in Accra.

The Reverend Dr Ben Garbrah, Former Chairman and Advisor of the Friends of the Earth Ghana, launching the project said it was targeted at girls because, they were future mothers, who would play very important roles in the management of the home, where many environmental problems started.

An Internet caf=E9, equipped with eight computers, to help the students to access global information and communicate with sister institutions involved in the Project in other countries was also inaugurated.

The Project, part of the United States Environmental Protection Agency programme for Education and Development Initiative is being implemented in Ghana by Friends of Earth-Ghana. In Ghana, Aburi Girls' Secondary School has also been chosen for the two-year programme, which is running concurrently in four other countries - Senegal, Benin, South Africa and the United States of America.

The Project would train students to appreciate and learn how to manage environmental risks, develop innovative ways to solve local problems and return to their communities and share knowledge with their families and peers.

Subjects to be taught include water safety and sanitation, environmental health, food safety, air quality, energy, waste management and basic computer training.

In the final month of the programme, students would undertake a project based on one of the topics studied, the final report of which would be entered into a competition.

Two students from each school judged to have prepared the best project reports would travel to the United States for two weeks as part of a summer exchange programme.

Rev Dr Garbrah urged the students to develop proper attitudes to environmental issues and be worthy ambassadors of the environment to make the country proud.

Rev Dr Garbrah, who later cut the ribbon to inaugurate the Internet caf=E9, said he was hopeful that the Project would be extended to other schools.

Ms Doris Bramson, Headmistress of St Mary's, lauded the Project and said she hoped it would increase awareness of the Korle Gonno community, which had serous environmental concerns and also endemic to malaria, which had affected the school.

Dr Elizabeth Acheampong, Senior Lecturer, Department of Botany, chaired the ceremony. 04 June 04