By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
Faith and Development Manager at World Vision Ghana (WVG), Reverend Benjamin Sarbah, has issued a stern warning about deteriorating sanitation in local communities, stating that poor hygiene is directly undermining children’s health and developmental potential.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with GBCGHANAONLINE on the sidelines of a three-day environmental workshop dubbed “Creation Care” organized by World Vision Ghana in collaboration with the Federation of Muslim Councils (FMC), Rev. Sarbah highlighted a worrying trend of indiscriminate waste disposal and choked drainage systems near residential areas and schools.
He noted that children, who are the most vulnerable to environmental hazards, are bearing the brunt of these avoidable conditions.
“We cannot expect our children to thrive when they are constantly exposed to filth and pathogens.
A child’s well-being is not just about food and water; it is about the air they breathe and the ground they play on. When we neglect our environment, we are essentially neglecting the future of these little ones,” Rev. Sarbah stated.
The Faith and Development Manager at WVG further pointed to rising environmental challenges, such as illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, indiscriminate waste disposal, and flooding, which continue to threaten livelihoods and the well-being of children.
“Malaria, cholera, and respiratory infections among minors are a direct consequence of the ‘culture of filth’ taking root in many neighbourhoods,” Rev. Sarbah noted.
He has thus called on religious leaders, local authorities, and traditional leaders to take action against unsanitary conditions by cleaning their surroundings regularly.
He further urged the government to enforce sanitation laws more strictly, suggesting that the lack of accountability has emboldened citizens to dump refuse in unauthorized places.
According to Rev. Sarbah, religious leaders must also use their platforms to preach cleanliness as a core tenet of faith.
He explained that WVG, a Christian, Child-Focused, and Community-Empowering organisation, organised the workshop to mobilise faith leaders to take an active role in addressing environmental degradation in the country.
The workshop brought together 40 Muslim leaders and representatives from Muslim communities in the Greater Accra and Central Regions.
