Total destruction after the fire.
On March 16, 15 waste pickers in Ghana at Kpone landfill lost their properties due to a fire outbreak at their quarters that started during the night. Their homes, where they lived with their families, have been destroyed. They have lost everything. Luckily no one got hurt in the fire. Nobody knows what’s the cause of the fire, and the Police and the National Disaster Management Organization have not conducted any investigation that we know of. Firefighters arrived at the scene too late, so they could only extinguish the remaining fire, everything had already burnt.
There are currently 700 waste pickers that work at the landfill and belong to the Kpone Landfill Waste Pickers Association. The Association is having a general meeting today to come up with some measures and also to adopt a mechanism of safer working and living conditions. The waste picker association is also planning to serve the municipality with a letter to demand safety measures. There are immediate needs that include shelter, cloth food, school materials, and other long term needs that include safety and fire preventive measures.
More than 200 people live in the same area, where the fire took place, but only 15 of them were directly affected, including the secretary of the association.
From the Global Alliance of Waste Pickers, we want to send a clear message about the essential role of waste pickers in the community. Waste pickers are essential workers for society. They are environmental agents that help mitigate the negative impacts of waste as well as are breadwinners for their families. Accidents like the one that happened yesterday should be of public concern and be addressed by local officials immediately.
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Please support the workers to rebuild their lives destroyed by the recent fire.
Bank Details for Kpone Waste Pickers in Ghana:
- Bank: Zenith Bank Limited
Address: Premier Towers, Liberia Road, Ministeries. Accra – Ghana - Account Name: Kpone Landfill Waste Pickers Association
- Account Number: 6011510566
- Swift Code: ZEBLGHAC
15 waste pickers in Ghana at Kpone Landfill lost their properties due to a fire 🔥 outbreak at their quarters where they are staying with their families last night. They lost everything, but luckily no one got hurt 🤕. No police 🚓 have come to conduct any investigation yet. pic.twitter.com/QHr816Ec0S
— ♻️ Global Alliance of Waste Pickers (@globalrec_org) March 16, 2022
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