The Caprice Worship Centre in the La Area of The Church of Pentecost, under the leadership of Pastor Emmanuel Opoku Mensah, has organised a durbar to commemorate this year’s Environmental Care Campaign Week.
The event took place at the church auditorium on March 15, 2023, on the theme: “My Environment, My Responsibility.”
In an address, the Chairman of La Area National Discipleship & Leadership Development Committee (NDLDC), Pastor Danis James Osei Assibey, who doubles as Mamobi District Minister, said that the church as part of its Vision 2023, has set aside a week for Environment Care Campaign exercises across the country where members engage in thorough clean up exercises in their various communities.
With scripture reference to Numbers 35:33, Pastor Osei Assibey noted that God needs everyone as a partner to keep the environment clean, saying, “Let’s desist from polluting the land in which we live.”
Touching on plastic waste, he said that it causes a lot of havoc on human health and the environment, whiles government loses revenue in its management and processing. According to him, if plastics are well managed, it generates income for individuals.
Pastor Osei Assibey said that the practice is to ensure that members observe a clean environment to support the popular saying that “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.”
He indicated that this year’s campaign focuses mainly on plastic waste products, their segregation, sales, and monetary aspect.
In an interview, the Ayewaso Central Director of the Ghana Education Service, Mr Augustus Owusu Ahenkora, expressed his utmost joy towards the involvement of school children in the campaign. He believes that when children are well informed they will intern teach their parents and friends how to segregate waste.
He noted that some schools within the community segregate their waste but others do not have bins to segregate.
He further appealed to Universal Plastic Product and Recycling Ltd (UPPL) and other stakeholders to support the schools with waste bins to help in segregating their waste products.
Mr Ishmael Nii Sowah Quaye of UPPL commended the church for the initiative. He said that the church’s campaign on plastic waste management is timely, especially with the involvement of school children.
He noted that his organisation’s doors are always open to assist in plastic waste management and recycling. The Chief of Kokomlemle, Nii Tetteh Obroni Onama Onsuro, called on Ghanaians to be mindful of their activities at home.
“People should desist from intentionally dumping refuse at vantage points,” he added. The Market Queen of Malam Atta Market, Naa Okaikor Etsuru, cautioned residents to stop the indiscriminate dumping of refuse in the market since it generates all kinds of diseases.
Also in attendance were Elder J. K. Asare, Mr Charles Tsatsu McCarthy, Mrs Heartwill Opoku Mensah, and a cross-section of members.
Report by Gina Akua Padi.