Have you ever met a person with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)? I haven’t. The first time I remember hearing about ALS was on the TV show, “suits” when Jessica Pearson’s ex husband was dying from it. What about cholera? Malaria? Ebola? I’m willing to bet most of you have heard of/experienced/read a lot about at least one of these.
We always talk about patronising ‘made-in-Ghana’ goods, or supporting ‘home-grown’ ventures.
In the wake of the sensational ‘ALS ice bucket challenge’, wouldn’t it be more innovative to replicate it to issues that affect us? Imagine a “Cholera clean it up challenge”. You film yourself cleaning up a choked gutter near you, or cleaning up rubbish in your neighbourhood, or washing your hands with a bucket of soapy water, post it on social media, challenge a friend to do similar. You could decide to do the challenge wearing unusual gear- a swimsuit maybe. This would accomplish 3 things:
1. A cleaner city/country!
2. A people more sensitised about the cholera outbreak.
3. Increased community feeling.
All this without actually having to spend money. I see no negatives here, do you?
If Ghanaians want to dump buckets of ice – cold water over their heads to join in a fad started by someone seeking to better the lives of people affected by a disease relevant to his/her society, that’s their prerogative. I’d rather trudge through knee-high rubbish to reduce disease outbreak than be drenched in icy water and possibly catch a cold.
Would you participate in a ‘Cholera clean it up challenge?’ We would love to hear your thoughts on this. Please do share.
Tweneboah