Waste Management has been and still is a big issue for Honiara and other urban centers in the country.
Education and awareness-raising on how rubbish is created and how to properly dispose and manage it is an area that REP-HCC has embarked in partnership with Solomon Islands Development Trust (SIDT) since last year.
This is in addition to the ‘Street Cleaning’ work that REP started since 2011.
Three groups of youths from each of the three constituencies in Honiara who have been trained under the Pre-Employment Training under the Rapid Employment Project have been selected by SIDT and have been trained in Street Theatre to go out into the communities and schools to raise awareness on waste management. One of the main messages of the drama is the three Rs – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
Yesterday the Drama Group began the ‘Waste Management Awareness Campaign’ in the schools in and around Honiara.
The first schools to watch the performances were Lungga World War II Memorial Community School and Burns Creek Adventist Community School.
At both schools the students roared with laughter as the drama was presented and as they identify with the message of the drama.
REP-HCC representative, Judith Fangalasuu posed a question to the students at the end of the drama: “Do you want to see Honiara remain a rubbish-challenged or a clean and healthy city?” To which the students all shouted, “We want to see a clean Honiara”.
The challenge and encouragement offered to the students was “If you want to see a Clean Honiara, the best place to start is with yourself”.
Joseph Major of SIDT, raised a point with the students that in Oceania Futsal, Solomon Islands is number 1 but in terms of rubbish disposal and management, Honiara the Capital City is last and so he challenged the students to start developing proper waste disposal and management habits early in their lives so that their wish to see a clean Honiara will be realized.
The Principal of Lungga Community School, Mrs. Joy expressed gratitude to the Honiara Youths, SIDT and Rapid Employment Project – HCC for reinforcing the importance of management of rubbish through drama as this is one program the school is also embarking on.
She also expressed the wish to see the habits of people change from one of careless throwing of rubbish to one of proper disposal and management of rubbish so that our communities and Honiara become and remain clean and healthy places for people to enjoy.
– REP Communications