Waste Disposal In Ghana

One thing that struck me when I was in Ghana in 2008 was the lack of rubbish disposal. Its something we in Australia seriously take for granted and until you don't have the luxury, you don't realise how much you rely on it. Here, every week I put dozens of plastic filled bags into the garbage bin. A truck comes on Monday and takes it away. There was no such system when in Ghana. Firstly, there weren't even any bins (apart from 2 in the larger city near our village). At school I watched in horror as children threw their plastic and paper onto a pile which was burnt every 2nd day. Thick black poisonous smoke enveloped the playground as small girls and boys no older than 7 years old poked it with a stick.

I asked Mr. Anan, a head teacher at the school I was assisting at if he knew of the dangers of the smoke but he just laughed (like he did at most questions I asked), “what you don't burn the rubbish in Australia?”. Another alarming thing I saw was when we required some paint for a classroom that was being built at our school. A young boy, around 10 years old was physically mixing the paint with his hands. This was his job and he did it for hours every day.

Toxic E-waste

Toxic e-waste trade is something I have only really learnt about this year. E-waste refers to electric goods such as old computers, televisions, mobile phones and refrigerators.
Ashamedly I didn't really stop and think about all the second hand electronic shops in the main cities of Ghana when I was living there. As part of my studies on globalisation and world poverty we read some very interesting articles by Vandana Shiva – a leading environmentalist, activist and academic. She believes globalisation is “environmental apartheid” and that we are destroying developing nations livelihood's through economic liberalisation. It is 10 times cheaper to dump e-waste in African nations than it is to dispose of it in Europe and although the trade is illegal – millions of tonnes of e-waste are exported throughout the world annually. And it is killing people. Men, women and children are taking apart electronic devices to salvage smaller parts, scrap metal and copper. Chemicals are transferred to the skin and pollute the air during burnings.

I found this eye opening video on e-waste in Ghana and I highly recommend you watch it. Please see here.

Rubbish tip in Mole National Park - Ghana

Helpful websites

The following are some great websites that can be really helpful for research projects.

Gapminder

The brainchild of Hans Rosling, world statistics are made sexy and fun!

Oxfam Publications

Thoroughly researched and free! Oxfam covers issues from climate change, globalisation, trade and poverty, to gender issues and genocide.

Fora TV

It all started with a movie...

I saw Hotel Rwanda when it was released in 2004. I was 16 at the time and working in a video shop. I had no idea about the genocide that had occurred in Rwanda. I was just looking for a good movie and it had “recommended viewing” on the cover. I never knew it would change my life.

As soon as the movie started I wanted to turn it off. I kept looking at the cover to make sure it really did say “based on true events”. True events? They had to be exaggerating. Surely?

I cried solidly for a few hours after the final credits. My mum tried to console me but I just could not stop sobbing. I remember asking “But why?, why?, why?” over and over again. It shocked me to my core. I just could not fathom that kind of abuse and destruction. I knew I wanted to dedicate my life in some way to making the world a better place.

The next day I decided to sponsor a child in Senegal, West Africa through World Vision. Daba was my first connection with Africa and I adored her letters and drawings.

When it came to Year 12 I knew I wanted to travel and I knew I wanted to volunteer. I did some research and settled on Ghana, West Africa. I took a gap year between high school and uni and for 3 months in 2009 I lived with a Ghanaian family and worked at a local primary school and an orphanage. This experience certainly didn't change the livelihood's of the children I worked with, but it certainly changed me. It inspired me to continue on my path and opened my eyes to what real poverty looked like. (Not just student poverty i.e. “I can't afford drinks at the pub, I'll take a goon sack in my bag”).

On arrival it was as if we had entered another world. It was 1am. The heat was unrelenting. It smelt of open sewers. There was a constant beeping from taxis making life and death lane changes. Mothers were sleeping with their babies on the median strips. It was shocking, raw.

TIA. This is Africa.

But I soon fell in love. Daylight came and we travelled from Accra to our village Ekwamkrom the following week. ("We" refers to myself and best friend, Kelei).

Ghana has a vibrant heart and a fascinating culture. It is artistic. It is soulful. It is all about colours and family and love. Hard work, huge smiles and dancing. Always dancing..

This blog is for anyone interested in international aid and development. I don't pretend to be an expert on the topic, I'm just hoping to draw from personal experience and document my studies in Communications Social Inquiry. I'm always learning and I would love to bounce ideas around with others who are passionate about global justice.

I hope I inspire you to stay committed to whatever gorgeous vision you have for the world.

With our own two hands, we can make a difference.