The village of Missirah does not have a household garbage collection system, which causes trash to build up in the street, harms the environment, and leaves strong smells. The resulting general uncleanliness leads many people to develop diseases and sicknesses that could be avoided by clean streets. The people of Missirah have tried to improve trash collection and decrease littering but struggled due to a lack of funds and organization. After meetings with the mayor, community leaders, and CorpsAfrica/Senegal representatives, it was decided to foster friendly competition between neighborhoods to raise awareness of the environmental effects of poor trash disposal and to encourage people to clean up their areas. First, a committee was established from representatives of the five neighborhoods in addition to a few members of the health committee and the local women’s union. To involve the general population, these committees hosted a mini-football tournament between neighborhoods and started a neighborhood cleanup contest. A Facebook page was also created to provide a platform for discussing the environmental effects of poor trash disposal. The success of this project will ultimately be measured by the observation of a change in trash disposal behavior, a cleaner environment, and a greater interest in the environment displayed by the community. This will improve the quality of life of the whole population. To ensure long-term success, this project will become a social enterprise to which each household pays a monthly fee of 1,000f CFA allocated for community activities that improve the daily life of the whole population.
The image of the village has changed. People are more aware of the cleanliness of the village and the behavior has changed. Many activities have been organized by the Youth Association in collaboration with the population and the secondary school students.
195 households have subscribed to the program of having a trash can and to pay every month a fee worth 1,000 FCFA ($1,77). There is a system of trash collection twice a week and the Mayor has given a plot of land as a dumping ground. The objective in the future is to recycle the trash.