By: Mohamed Sahr
Don Bosco Fambul Eco-Project embarked on an environmental campaign against plastic pollution and deforestation on Saturday 1st October 2022 at the Centre Business Departments in Freetown.
Murrah Massaquoi, Project Coordinator for the Don Bosco Fambul Eco-Project said the Eco-Project aimed at addressing climate action and sustainable citizens and communities embedded in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); emphasizing that the institution had prepared to reduce the impact of climate change and plastic pollution. He said over the past few years Sierra Leone had experienced a compelling downpour of rain as a result of deforestation and other environmental issues. “We are moving around sensitizing people about the effects of plastic pollution through training and education,” he said.
He revealed that through the immense support of their partners in Spain, they had trained one hundred schools in Freetown, Lunsar and Kabala in connection with media education and community sensitization programs with the view of showing commitment to mitigating this cause. He said Don Bosco Eco-Project in recent times had planted over twenty thousand trees within Freetown in eleven months.
Massaquoi disclosed that the younger generation had been the main target in portraying the message of plastic pollution they had considered as the future and reliable generation; adding that they had trained one thousand pupils and one hundred teachers in the tree planting and plastic pollution project. He said the first phase of the project was sometime in November last year and would end this month. “The second phase of the project exclusively, we are going to focus on recycling. We continue on the same training and education coupled with the recycle aspect,” Massaquoi affirmed.
He said in the bid of fostering a successful outcome of the project, they had provided waste bins to all of the schools that went through the training session to serve as a starting point for the recycling process. Murrah Massaquoi revealed that going forward the project would target almost all of the district headquarter towns in the country. He urged Sierra Leoneans especially the younger generation to invest in the environment and stop littering plastics in the streets.
Francis Kamara, Coordinator of Don Bosco on Wheel said the embarkment of the project was to sensitize the younger generation on plastic pollution and environmental management. He said climate change has not only affected Sierra Leone but the world by extension where lives and properties have been lost. “Climate change is something we have to mitigate,” Kamara reaffirmed.
He said Don Bosco Fambul believes in embracing the younger generation at an early stage for them to replicate the kind of education being given to them. He felt motivated by paying a premium to the younger generation. He urged the people of Sierra Leone to take climate change as an important issue in terms of domesticating it to different communities as it would enhance a sanitary life.
Sahr Augustine Ngewoh-tana, Psychometrician for Don Bosco Fambul said as an expert in dealing with children who had been deprived and traumatized in their various homes realized to showcase the relevance of tackling plastic pollution; adding that this had caused lots of damage to many communities in Freetown. He implored Sierra Leoneans to embark on tree planting to discourage deforestation. He said today has been a remarkable day in the life of Don Bosco Fambul Eco-Project.
Mohamed Kargbo, a pupil of United Christian Church School applauded the effort of the Don Bosco Fambul Eco-Project for making the outcome successful. He said the project had created a huge impact on him as he would be an ambassador in spreading the message about plastic pollution.
