Waste is a problem in many of our countries, but TEAR Fund has chosen to draw our attention to the particular challenge of rubbish in Africa. Here’s a recent blog post by Sas Conradie, TEAR Fund’s Theology and Networking Manager for Africa, after a recent trip to Angola:
Last year I was privileged to have visited Angola for two weeks. Traveling around the country made a deep impression on me and changed my view of Angola. Despite extreme poverty, there are bustling cities, beautiful houses and growing churches.
But the one thing that struck me most was the rubbish. Especially plastic rubbish – everywhere. I found it hard to watch the way Christian leaders throw plastic bags and bottles out of cars and buses.
It made me wonder, do they not care for God’s creation? And if they don’t care for creation, do they care for themselves and their neighbourhoods? Their careless actions saddened me. The vast majority of the Angolan population is Christian. How could there be so much rubbish in a country with so many Christians?
But Angola is not unique. What I experienced there is the same throughout Africa – just visit my own city, Pretoria in South Africa, or Nairobi, in Kenya which I often visit. So naturally I am extremely excited about Tearfund’s Rubbish Campaign. It calls on companies to stop selling plastic products in communities where waste is not collected and motivates Christians to reduce their plastic use.
Find out more at
www.tearfund.org/en/about_you/action/
and do your part: Put it in the bin! (Better, try to buy without plastic in the first place!)
