BACKGROUND: The project was a skills acquisition workshop organized to mark the 2020 International Day for Eradication of Poverty. The theme for this year’s event is “Acting together to achieve social and environmental justice for all”. In a bid to promote social and environmental justice the SI4dev Abuja location group organized a training workshop aimed at empowering the young people on waste management in their community.
OBJECTIVES AND PURPOSE:
The objective of the workshop was to equip unemployed and underemployed men and women with the skills to earn a living using resources from their immediate environment.
DESCRIPTION AND SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES: The welcome address was conducted by Ms. Amarah Joseph during which she briefed the participants on the purpose of the project as well as introduced SI4DEV. After the welcome address, there was an introductory session of all participants.
The third session of the workshop was a discussion on waste management and environmental justice the session was facilitated by Ms. Chidinma Ejike an Environmental scientist. She discussed the effect of improper waste disposal on the different ecosystems of the environment and the ultimate effect on human health and food security. She discussed the “4Rs” of waste management – Refuse, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. She further advised the participants on ways they can apply all the 4Rs in their everyday life. She enlightened the participants on the value of ‘waste’ and its potential in creating wealth, which was the purpose of the workshop.
The last session of the workshop was the training session on how to up-cycle waste using tyres and pet bottles it was facilitated by Mrs. Munisola. She started the training session first by explaining the various materials needed for up-cycling. The project for the workshop was to produce up-cycled stools from waste motor vehicle tyres. The practical session was engaging and participatory, and all the participants took turns to work on the project. After the demonstration session was completed, the participants were split into 4 teams to produce a tyre each.
The project impacted 23 young people in kuje community.