NGOs urged to involve children in environmental activities

Oyoko (Ash), June 20, GNA - Mrs Evelyn Apeti, Deputy Director of Education at the Bosomtwe-Atwima-Kwanwoma District, has called on environmental non-governmental organisations to actively involve children in their environmental protection activities. She said children needed to be abreast with environmental issues and they have to be encouraged to participate in awareness programmes. Mrs Apeti made the call at the launch of a tree planting campaign project at Oyoko.

The project, which is an initiative of the Environmentally Concerned Citizens Association of Ghana and the district assembly in collaboration with the chiefs and people in the community, aimed at planting trees in the town to serve as wind breaks to reduce the frequent rainstorm disasters in the town.

Mrs Apeti said sound and secured environment promoted a healthy growth of the child and urged the people to institute clean-up and environmental awareness campaigns together with the children to promote cleanliness in the town.

Mr J.Y. Aidoo, president of the association, expressed regret at the rate at which the country's environment, especially the forest, was being degraded and appealed to the people to check illegal timber activities in the area.

He said the association, in collaboration with the Forestry Commission, was supplying tree seedlings free of charge to the community to plant.

Mr Bright Addai-Mununkum, the District Chief Executive who launched the project, appealed to the people to embrace the project in order to reduce disasters in the town.

Nii Kwei Kussachew of the Ashanti Regional office of the Forestry Commission said the commission had embarked on wildfire prevention project in the forest zones of the country and appealed to the people to co-operate with the commission to protect the environment.