News
Scavenging for survival …children, adults invade Tamale landfill site
Some adults and children in the Northern Regional Capital, Tamale, have found another means of making a living without joining the bandwagon of migrating to Southern Ghana in search of non-existing job.
A lot of northers are in the towns and cities of Ghana engaged in menial jobs and conditions under which they live are not dignifying, to say the least.
Women as well as children in school uniform, on a daily basis, make their way to the one of the city’s landfill sites to ‘dig for goodies’ after waste collection trucks have offloaded heaps of garbage.
According to some residents, the practice has been in existence over the years and is a source of livelihood for those who engage in it.
Sheriff and Majeed, both aged nine, are among the many children, captured by our Photographer Mr. Geoffery Buta, as they ‘invade’ the dumping ground before, during, or after school hours.
With sharp metal bars and sacks, the children head for the refuse site and spend several hours on the heaps of garbage for anything they find useable. Other children between eight and 15 years compete’ with adults as soon as the refuse trucks pull up.
Sheriff said that on one lucky day, he found a wrist watch which he later sold at seven cedis (GHC 7.00). Madam Fuazie Iddrisu one of the adult scavengers, admitted that they earned some living from the landfill site by selling some of the ‘valuables’ they found.
Mr. Fataw Abubakar, a scrap dealer at the landfill site said, the number of scavengers in the area had doubled as the population in the city increased.
“On Mondays, the refuse dump looks like a ‘market day’ where you see hundreds of scavengers especially women and children of all ages rummaging the garbage”, he said.
He said many of the scavengers had lived almost all their lives near the landfill site, and that some children started following their parents to the site as early as age five.
Explaining the risk the children especially were exposed to at the site, Mr. Abubakar, recounted a sad encounter when a child was run over and killed by a refuse truck that had come to offload refuse.
A waste management official, who pleaded anonymity, noted that the authorities in charge of the site had tried and failed on many occasions to stop the children especially from coming to the dumping ground.
“Many of them complain it is their livelihood, so they should be allowed to continue,” he said but noted that the completion of a solid waste management project would help control the activities of the adult and child scavengers.
By Geoferry Buta
Muslims across the country celebrated this year’s Eid-ul-Adha in a colourful and spiritually uplifting atmosphere under the theme, “A Season of Sacrifice, Solidarity and Spiritual Renewal.”
The celebration brought together Muslims from diverse backgrounds in a remarkable display of faith, unity and cultural heritage.
The occasion was marked by special Eid prayers at various designated grounds, the slaughtering of rams in homes for sharing among family members, friends and the less privileged, as well as musical concerts and recreational activities including horse riding.
Leading the celebration was the Chief Imam, Dr Sheikh Osman Sharubutu.
While the national celebration was held at the Black Star Square where President John Dramani Mahama was the Special Guest of Honour, similar gatherings took place at different centres across the capital and other regions of the country.
A visit by The Spectator to some celebration grounds revealed Muslims, both young and old, elegantly dressed in colourful jalabiya and other Islamic attire, reflecting the rich culture and traditions of the Muslim community.
The celebration also portrayed the spirit of religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence in the country, as a number of Christians joined their Muslim counterparts to mark the occasion.
Muslim leaders and government officials used the opportunity to call on the faithful to uphold the teachings of the Holy Quran, renew their spiritual commitment and refrain from acts capable of undermining the peace, unity and security of the nation.
They further urged Ghanaians to continue to live in harmony and support one another for national development.
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
Dear Obaa Yaa,
During Eid-ul- Adha celebration, I decided to spend the weekend at my boyfriend’s place since we were planning towards our marriage.
To my surprise, what keeps me wide awake, restless and frustrated every single time is that he snores loudly like a generator running on full power, and I genuinely cannot get any rest
At a point, I thought it was just a normal thing, but I have realised it is something he does with ease and doesn’t see anything wrong with it.
When he steps out in the morning, I try to get enough sleep because I may not sleep in the evening.
The most annoying thing is that, he always wants to cuddle me. These two things are a no for me and a red flag.
We are about to get married, what should I do?
Enam, Keta.
Dear Enam,
The snoring and constant cuddling are frustrating, but you don’t have to choose between sleep and closeness.
Start with the snoring: check if it’s worse when he sleeps on his back, cut out alcohol before bed, try nasal strips or a humidifier, and see a doctor if he pauses while breathing.
For quick relief, foam earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones help a lot.
Separate blankets, a bigger bed, or sleeping apart on some nights often makes couples rest well and feel closer overall.
Bring this up before the wedding .Tell him you want to wake up next to him for years to come, but sleep deprivation makes you both miserable.
Test earplugs and side-sleeping this weekend, and if it’s still unbearable, bring in a doctor. Good sleep matters more for your marriage than staying glued together all night.
