For the final part of my giving back project. I chose to work on a project that another U.S. student has been working on for almost 9 months. It is aimed at alleviating the waste management problem that is so evident here in Accra. We convinced the women at the “Night Market” on campus to seperate food waste from plastic waste. We then began to compost this food waste. When we had a sufficient amount of compost ready, we began to put in a garden near the “Night Market” so that the women can see first hand the environmental and economic benefits of seperating waste and composting.
I feel like this project has been a success for a few reasons. One, the area where we planted the garden looks much better now. Also, little kids have been coming to not only help us when we are there but also clean up trash when we aren’t around without even having to be asked. This is such a huge improvement to see in a society where littering is common and accepted.