8th Anniversary of Shape Attitude Ghana Observed
SHAPE Attitude Ghana celebrated its 8th Anniversary on Tuesday, 14th June, 2022 with the theme “Sanitation and Aquatic Life”. The occasion was marked with a tour of pupils and teachers from 17 selected basic schools in Winneba, representatives from Ghana Education Service (GES), the Tourism Society of Ghana (TOSOGHA) and members from Shape Attitude Ghana to the estuary of River Ayensu at Sankor, a suburb of Winneba.
Mr. Abdulai Illiasu, the chairman for Conference of Heads of Basic Schools, Effutu, in his welcoming address, acknowledged the good works of Shape Attitude Ghana over the years. He made reference to the “Stay Clean Competition” which was organized to mark the 5th Anniversary of the Organization and commended it for yet another important milestone to raise awareness on littering and other activities that have affected the estuary at Sankor, Winneba.
The Director of Shape Attitude Ghana, Mr. Wonderful Baisie Ghartey, stated that the estuary of River Ayensu at the Magjoy Royal Beach, Sankor, was chosen as a reference point to demonstrate among other things, the effect of filth on fishes that migrate upstream to spawn in rivers and mammals from the sea that lay their eggs on land. Mr. Ghartey expressed his disappointment that the beautiful estuary that once served as tourist site few years ago was no more in existence but rather visible were plastic wastes washed ashore by the sea. He advised the pupils to avoid littering and dumping refuse into gutters and water bodies in order to prevent the unpleasant scene at the beach.
An ICT teacher at Anglican JHS, Mr. Michael Agbenyor, expressed his astonishment at the disappearance of the estuary which existed just about 2 years ago. He recalled that students even had to cross with canoes to the other side of the river which has now been filled with plastic waste. Mr. Agbenyor and other teachers present entreated the pupils not to litter and also be on the look out to draw the attention of people who litter to do the right thing.
The ambassador for Youth in Tourism and also the representative from the Tourism Society of Ghana, Mr Jopseh Amartey, spoke on the synergy between tourism and sanitation stating that poor sanitation standards at tourist sites would have negative impact on both tourism and the local community. He drew analogy that if one visits a restaurant that is filthy, it is not only likely that he will not eat there again but will discourage others too. For that reason, hygiene and sanitation are critical components in ensuring tourism thrives. He, therefore, entreated the pupils to adopt positive mindset and always keep the environment clean.
The Director of Education Service, Winneba, Mrs. Mabel Judith Micah congratulated Shape Attitude Ghana on their anniversary. She pointed out that gutters are meant for drainage of rain water but not refuse, therefore, we should desist from dumping garbage into gutters when it rains to avoid flooding and also prevent refuse entering the sea only to be washed ashore. She added that “allowing filth to contaminate our water bodies, especially those that serve as drinking water will require a lot of chemical treatment which is not good for human health.” She also added that the quality of fish we consume should be a concern to us if we are allowing all sorts of filth to enter the sea. In her conclusion, Mrs. Mabel encouraged all pupils to consider cleaning as a good habit for a healthy life rather than a punishment.
Closing down the curtains, the director of Shape Attitude, expressed profound gratitude to all who contributed to the success of the programme notably, the Directorate of GES, the University of Education, Winneba, Bishop Francis Odoom, Chairman of Council of Churches, the management team of the Organization and Mrs. Victoria Amissah Ghartey. He also thanked Mr. Joseph Amartey of TOSOGHA from Accra and the Manager of Magjoy Royal Beach Resort for using their premises.
