The urban poor: The case of Teshie Leeshie [Audio]

Despite being in existence for almost three hundred years, the Teshei Leeshie a deprived community within the Teshie Township in Accra, the ninth most populous settlement in Ghana can only boast of a few toilet facilities in the area.

The area is also beset with poor drainage systems, high unemployment, teenage pregnancy and poverty.

A visit to the place by Citi News' team comprising Philip Nii Lartey Anass Seidu and Rita Mensah exposed the shocking, threatening and poor sanitary conditions these people live in this area.

The residents live in filth and human excreta due to the practice of open defecating along the sea shore, an act which is a common practice among the residents there.

A first time visitor to the Teshie Leeshie is immediately hit by the pungent smell following the insanitary conditions there.

After living here for two decades, Emmanuel Ashietey recounted, the poor state of development that has seen residents resort to defecating at the sea shore.

“Our problem is our rubbish and the improper defecation of residents. They find themselves at the seashore every day and they have been defecating here for ages,” he lamented.

The stench emanating from the activity makes it difficult for visitors to breathe.

People here – men, women and children do not miss any chance to openly defecate along the shores.

“Teshie is a very big town and it has only three public toilet facilities, which per world standards is woefully inadequate because we do not have enough toilet facilities to ease ourselves, we all go to the seashore to do it and we normally go there at dawn which is very dangerous. It would be of great help if every household is provided a toilet facility, we have been battling with this problem for so many years and we want government to help us solve this problem. The population of Teshie has increased over the years and it is prudent we get facilities that will much up with this increase,” a resident said.

Many of the young men in this area play board games to kill the boredom of unemployment.

Eric complained bitterly about the lack of jobs making life unbearable for them.

“There is no work here for us to do and this has pushed the youth into stealing. They steal mobile phones, decoders and sometimes they rob us at knife points here at Teshie, we are therefore pleading with the government to create jobs in the area so that we can be employed. If we are working, we will be happy and it will reduce the pressure at Teshie,” he said.

Click below for the full audio report filed from Teshei Leeshie:

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana