I COMMEND Zambian Breweries’ Manja Pamodzi project for the initiative that is helping to clean up post-consumer packaging waste in Lusaka, improving sanitation and hygiene.
This initiative is worth highlighting because of the impact it is making in the management of solid waste.
Manja Pamodzi is a community-based initiative that is helping to clean up post-consumer packaging waste in Lusaka, improving sanitation and hygiene as a result.
The project is achieving this by supporting a network of collectors and aggregators in Chunga, Chawama and Kamwala thus generating enterprise and alleviating poverty.
The Manja Pamodzi is supported by Zambian Breweries plc, National Breweries and Heinrich’s Syndicate in partnership with the Lusaka City Council and others.
Established in August 2005, Manja Pamodzi has an ambitious vision to clean up the environment while simultaneously empowering men, women and youths who possess an entrepreneurial drive.
This is being achieved by empowering and supporting emergent entrepreneurs across the country, starting in Lusaka, tapping into their potential and providing them with a recycling platform.
Today, about 60 collectors have been registered and 194.9 tonnes of waste has been collected; two aggregation sites are currently operating in Ng’ombe and Chawama; and five clean-up exercises have taken place in Ng’ombe, Chawama, Matero, Kamwala and Lilanda.
Manja Pamodzi presents a platform, an opportunity for willing members of the community to flourish.
This model centres on providing fledgling entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs in particular, with the tools they need to succeed.
Manja Pamodzi visibly invests significant resources in the success of the collectors that have been seen to deliver above-average returns.
The initiative has seen the tremendous impact the collectors make on the community and can quote several examples of social entrepreneurs who have steadily grown the quantity of the waste over last year.
The collectors are identified through environmental education and sensitisation drives with a bias towards recycling.
Collectors gather polyethylene bottles, cardboards and other recyclable materials from target areas in their communities.
Aggregators, thereafter, buy the material in bulk and process the discarded material into bundles that are then sold to recycling companies to be processed into useable material such as tissues and egg trays.
That is briefly about Manja Pamodzi but I want to specifically bring out the aspect of creating awareness among pupils in Lusaka schools about waste management.
The week-long programme awareness campaign, supported by Lusaka Water Security Initiative and other partners from the private and public sectors, civil society and international organisations is aimed at working to ensure proper waste management and consequently quality water supply and security.
School awareness workshops were held at Muchinga, Twashuka, Kasamba and New Kanyama primary schools, and new Matero secondary school, with about 40 pupils targeted in each school.
Creating awareness among the children is the best way because of the influence they have on their parents and in society to be precise.
Changing the mindset of the children would help manage garbage.
It is regrettable that despite the council providing the few bins around the city some people opt to litre even when the bins are empty.
I confronted two women at Buseko Market here in the capital who threw the waste from their restaurant outside the empty bin.
They responded rudely questioning the existence and relevance of the council.
“What is the job of the council, if you are asking us to clean this place, they are paid to do this job, moreover we pay a lot of money to council,” said one of the women.
I left without a word but thinking why some people could have such an attitude of not cleaning the surrounding they operate from because when a disease breaks out, it would not only affect the council but everything regardless of the status in society.
It is also common to see some people throwing post-consumer waste through the window of moving car.
That is why I am commending Manja Pamodzi initiative of creating awareness.
Creating environmental awareness fosters a sense of connection to the natural world and promotes sustainable development.
Environmental education encourages conservation of irreplaceable natural resources and vulnerable plant and animal species.
The awareness essentially serves as an educational tool, helping people around the country understand the economic, aesthetic and biological importance of preserving resources and reducing or eliminating the harmful impacts of man-made alterations.
Environmental awareness or education helps people understand the consequences of human activities on various lands and identifies remedial solutions.
Therefore, there is need for concerted efforts to change people’s mindset to achieve a clean environment thus discourage disease infections and pollution.
The need to spread environmental awareness is enormous in the context of successfully addressing environmental problems.
Provision of environmental education creates greater awareness in individuals and communities with respect to putting environmental resources to use even while conserving them.
However, thank you to Langmead and Baker for additional information.
Until next week, but let us continue chatting, I will produce some of the reactions in due course.
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