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17.12.2010 Science

Keep your surroundings clean

17.12.2010 LISTEN
By Ghanaian Chronicle

By Stephen Odoi-Larbi
The Communications Manager of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Mrs. Isabella Gyau Orhin, has urged Ghanaian women in the food and beverages industry, especially, Muslim women, to keep their surroundings clean to safeguard the health of their clients.

Speaking at the Third Annual Regional Conference of the Federation of Muslim Women's Association in Ghana (FOMWAG), in the Ashanti Region, Mrs. Orhin said Muslim women food vendors had a key role to play in safeguarding public health, since they were key stakeholders in the food and beverage industry.

'We must adhere strictly to standards of food hygiene and environmental sanitation principles, as given by the various health and environmental sanitation authorities,' she remarked.

According to Mrs. Orhin, women in the food and beverage industry must adopt proper ways of disposing of all manner of waste, in order to prevent the proliferation of disease-causing organisms in their places of business, households, and neighbourhoods.

'Getting a waste bin with a fitting cover near where we practice our trade, plus regular lifting services, will solve our environmental sanitation problems,' she said.

The Ashanti Regional President of the FOMWAG, Hajia Fatimat Yasmeen Appiedu, in her speech, said, 'It is an undeniable fact that the quality of the environment we live in, to a large extent, determines the quality of our lives. Healthy and hygienic environment promotes healthy living, which in turn, leads to longevity and a healthy nation.'

She added that a healthy environment could only be attained by recognising the need for our concerted efforts in that direction.

'We must strive to pull our strengths and resources together to make a positive and meaningful impact on our environment,' she said.

Hajia Appiedu further said that the nation cannot rely on only the efforts of the assemblies and waste management companies to solve the problems of environmental sanitation.

She said every citizen had a role to play in ensuring that the various communities are kept clean and free of disease. 'We need to change our attitude towards the environment, and begin to cherish and keep it well,' she concluded.

On his part, the renowned Islamic Theologian and Educationist, Sheikh Ishak Ibrahim Nuamah, stated that women were a special creation of God, and endowed with special skills for taking care of the home and children.

'No wonder the popular adage says, if you educate a woman, you educate a nation.'

He thus, urged women to take good care of their children, and train them with the care of their environment in mind.

Sheikh urged them to be ambassadors of sanitation, and teach their children the importance of keeping their environment clean.

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