Keeping our environment clean: Knights, Ladies of Marshall join the campaign

The Dansoman branch of the Knights and Ladies of Marshall has organised a sanitation education campaign for residents of Chorkor, a fishing community in Accra.

Under the auspices of the Marshallan Relief Development Services (MAREDES) and the Accra West Regional Council and Court of the Knights and Ladies of Marshall, the marshallans dewormed more than 1000 adults and children in the community with the assistance of medical personnel from the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

The Marshallans also donated two sinks and two soap dispensing machines to serve users of the place of convenience, as well as an overhead water resevoir to facilitate the storage of potable water for the community.

Choice of Chorkor

According to Bro Francis Bernard Kwegyir-Afful, Grand Knight of Council 71, Dansoman, the exercise was brought to Chorkor because of the recent cholera outbreak in the area.

He said the society had for the past years provided medical and healthcare to some deprived communities across the country.

"As humans, we are expected to provide some form of support for our fellow brothers and sisters who lack basic amenities" he stated.

He explained that the exercise at Chorkor was also in line with the motto of the society; unity, charity, fraternity and service.

A member of the board of trustees of MAREDES, Most Respected Lady Sister Rose Anasthasia Erskine, said MAREDES was the non-governmental organisation of the Knights and Ladies of Marshall that provided development and charity services to deprived communities.

She said MAREDES had in the past one year provided a 20,000 litre water reservoir to the Akropong School of the Blind, mathematical sets to female students of junior high schools across the country and recently donated relief items to victims of the June 3 fire and flood disasters in Accra.

Washing of hands

A Principal Nursing Officer at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Ms Serwaa Amoah, for her part, took time to educate the residents on basic washing practices after visiting the washroom.

She urged parents to educate their children at home on washing their hands with soap under running water before and after visiting the toilet, as well as before and after eating.

A resident of Chorkor, Madam Elisabeth Kotei, said the community was grateful for the support from the Marshallans and indicated that it would go a long way to make them conscious of good sanitation practices and also help them to become good ambassadors of sanitation.

She said she was hopeful that other organisations would come to support them.