When I started hearing or learning about the effects of pollution and climate change back in my days in high school. I honestly didn’t understand why leaders from various countries, can actually have a conference or summit on the environment. I only realized years later when I was in varsity that those submissions, suggestions and recommendations made by those great leaders were actually true, but needed to be implemented by the human population.

Almost three decades later our very own Prime Minister of Eswatini declared that Cabinet Ministers, together with community members of the Eswatini society have a monthly “Clean Eswatini” campaign.  This declaration was made in June of this year. So the idea or mandate was that “Clean Eswatini” should happen every last Saturday of each month. This past weekend, All Out Africa volunteers and staff members joined the community of eBuka under the Lobamba Constituency in cleaning the streets.

When we arrived just after 8 am, it seemed like the community members started early, judging on the amount refuse bags filled with waste plastic and paper. What made it more mind blowing was that all refuse bags where neatly placed on top of each other? Most of the collected waste had a central drop off point/facility that we call in Eswatini a “Gogo Centre”. Gogo Centers are where most community meetings are held and are always located at the central part of a particular community. So refuse bags where place just outside this facility’s gate. After the waste collection, community leaders and members gathered and community leaders thanked all participants involved. One of our volunteers spoke about “how she enjoyed this morning’s clean-up campaign, and how community was welcoming throughout the morning”

Our next “Clean Eswatini” campaign will be on the 30^th November 2019 and we are hoping for another successful one.  If you would like to join us in the next clean up, please contact info@alloutafrica.com

Written by Tjengisa Dlamini, All Out Africa Social Project Coordinator

There are very few places in the world that plastic does not affect negatively. Along the shores of Tofo and Tofino (a nearby beach) students go out and collect plastics off the beach in sectioned areas and analyze it. As well as clean up the beach that is not being sampled. Each sample area of the beach chosen and the time of day can show which tides and currents bring in the most plastics, what array of types of plastics (or non-organic material) is wasting up and potentially more.

Students this past 2018 also collected small plastics and made eco bricks with them. By stuffing tightly as many tiny plastic bits (found during the plastics data gathering/ beach clean up) as possible into 1L plastic water bottles. These filled bottles are eco bricks and together with cement can be used to make walls for a local stainable straw making factory. Or at least that’s the idea.

In the photos, you can see students in their sample sights looking for plastics.

Written by Kimberly Wood

Click here if you would like to know more about our Marine Research Project