The Pure Earth Club is a school club comprised of students who are being taught and nurtured to love their environment and to protect it through the reduction of pollution, not only by words but by action. They are supervised by patrons who believe in the Pure Earth organization and support their goals.

At the first Pure Earth school club in Accra, Ghana, the students, and staff of the Tema Parents Association School seemed excited about the club’s inauguration. About 120 students had enlisted in the club and came in their numbers for the inauguration ceremony.

They put together a poem and a sketch centered on lead poisoning, which proved to be both educational and humorous. At the ceremony, representatives of Pure Earth explained the importance of establishing the club, which among other things, aims to support the students to care for the environment and in turn teach others to do same. As the roles of the executives were spelled out, and everyone was briefed about their responsibilities to planet earth, the students prepared for the great task ahead of them. The club was officially declared inaugurated by the Pure Earth Ghana Country Director, and thus, the purpose for the club establishment began.

The Pure Earth School Club is established to ensure that the future generation understands the importance of preventing all forms of pollution and protecting the environment. Teaching the children about pollution theoretically, as inculcated into our traditional school system, equips pupils with the knowledge, but the know-how is what the club intends to teach these children.

The club members will aim to raise awareness about pollution among peers at home and anywhere the pupils may find themselves. Making it their responsibility, the students will gain insight into the significant effects of pollution, especially toxic metals like lead, and how it affects them. Over time, this knowledge will spread, and children all around Ghana will get to know how to prevent contamination and pollution.

In The Toxic Truth, Pure Earth’s report with UNICEF, we learned that “children around the world are being poisoned by lead on a massive and previously unrecognized scale”. Toxic metals like lead as we know it, are all around children, in their toys, pencils, painted surfaces, etc. To ensure that children are protected, we must teach them to understand why and what they need protection from. The club is the best way to carry out this plan. With practical knowledge and skills the children acquire from Pure Earth and its projects, they will gain a deeper understanding and develop a sense of patriotism, thereby involving themselves in activities that help to mitigate pollution.

Furthermore, children are of importance because if they are affected by contamination issues, the entire country or planet is affected as well. Since some of the effects are either too severe and expensive to cure, or irreversible, our children are left to suffer the consequences.

Contamination from lead, for instance, when in contact with children, can cause severe irreversible damage, thereby, reducing the children’s potential in academic, economic and other efforts. Their actions, or inactions, affect the rest of the country because it causes the country to lose much economic productivity that could be generated from the children’s potential and creativity. The country retrogresses in terms of economic growth, which could affect any country severely.

For these reasons, it is pertinent to establish school clubs that agree with and help to realize Pure Earth’s goal of reducing pollution and saving lives, starting with the children.

This post is by Pure Earth Ghana intern Abigail Duodu, a graduate of the University of Ghana with a first class honours in Linguistics. She is deeply passionate about communications, particularly how it can be strategically harnessed through powerful expression in the resolution of various global crises, especially amongst marginalized populations. She is self-motivated, enthusiastic and determined to achieve excellence in her future career path.