A waste management company, Zoomlion Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of the Jospong Group of Companies (JGC), has announced a $100,000 package to support school children to study more about sanitation and the need to protect the environment.
The Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies (JGC), Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong, who made the announcement, indicates Zoomlion is also sensitizing school children more through its Zoomkids.
“The whole idea of Zoomkids is to catch the kids young and educate them on good sanitation practices and hygiene,” he explained.
The statement was made by the Executive Chairman of JGC at a launch of Waste Water Education organized by the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources (MSWR) in Accra on Thursday, October 20, 2022.
According to him, through Zoomkids, Zoomlion inculcates the culture of sanitation and hygiene into children.
He said since its inception in 2008, Zoomlion Foundation can boast about 526 Zoomkids in various schools in the country.
In 2016, he said, Zoomkids organized a quiz competition where a young girl emerged as the winner and was sponsored to Dubai to continue her education.
“The 2022 winner would be in Hungary for further studies,” he revealed.
Dr. Siaw Agyepong gave a firm assurance that Zoomlion will also continue to sponsor schools that have Zoomkids with facilities that to aid them in learning as well.
The Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Mrs. Cecilia Abena Dapaah, cautioned farmers who farm on the banks of water bodies in the country to halt such practices.
She said stopping such a practice will contribute to polluting water bodies.
She reinforced that the fight against illegal mining (popularly known as galamsey) was a collective commitment, hence urged Ghanaians to support President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on that front.
“We should all help fight against the few selfish people who want to destroy our water bodies and lands,” she charged.
The galamsey war, she asserted, cannot be won without the support of Ghanaians.
According to Mrs. Dapaah, President Akufo-Addo has shown massive commitment to tackling sanitation, stating that the evidence was obvious for all to see, especially as the country has been recording zero cases of cholera and other sickness relating to sanitation, for some time now.
Further, she maintained that her ministry was equally not relenting in its efforts to bring an end to irresponsible mining across the country.
She stressed that it was crucial that “we start inculcating good sanitation practices and protection of our water bodies and environment into our children.”
This, she pointed out, will sink deep into the minds of children to consciously and always protect the environment.
For his part, the Chief Executive Officer of Pureco Group, Mr. Balint Horvath, stated that it was important for such programs to be organized to protect Ghana’s environment.
He lamented the damage galamsey was causing to Ghana’s environment and water bodies.
Pureco Group seeks to let children know the importance of sanitation and hygiene through games,” he said.
“We want to bring a new way or alternative way of teaching in Ghanaian classrooms on sanitation and hygiene,” he further added.
Mr. Balint Horvath indicated that his outfit was in collaboration with Zoomlion to organize other projects aimed at helping the country to safeguard its environment.
