Two young UNICEF ambassadors take up the fight against Kinshasa schools’ waste

KINSHASA, JUNE 16, 2022 - Two young UNICEF climate ambassadors have been appointed to inform 500 students in 24 communes of Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) about the UNICEF-supported Bopeto na Kelasi campaign.

The campaign translated as "Cleanliness at School" aims to raise awareness among children on waste management in schools and households and to encourage teenagers to recycle waste from the beginning of the next school year. 

According to the Kinshasa Sewage and Public Works Authority (RATPK), there are at least 7,000 tons of waste, including 1,500 tons of plastic, produced daily by 15 million people in the capital. The city does not have a sufficient waste management system, and some waterways are transformed into rivers of sewage, garbage and discarded plastics.

The country has banned the production, import, marketing and use of plastic packaging, but unfortunately water bottles are not included.

About 180,000 Kinshasa school children will participate in the Bopeto na Kelasi campaign before the summer vacations. They will be helped to take key actions to protect the planet. 

In September 2021, UNICEF officially appointed Ketsia Passou, 17, and Emmanuel Jidisa, 14, as UNICEF Youth Climate Ambassadors in the DRC. 

Both children are committed to fighting climate change and are also trained on children's rights. They have accompanied UNICEF staff in implementing advocacy campaigns and climate and environmental initiatives in addition to inspiring other young people to act in the fight against climate change.

"Poor waste management contributes to climate change and air pollution and directly affects many ecosystems. Together with my colleague Ketsia Passou, we support the campaign Bopeto na Kelasi   to raise awareness among students about proper waste management in their daily lives," said Emmanuel Jidisa.

During 2021, Ketsia and Emmanuel participated in UNICEF's Voices of Youth on Climate Change advocacy campaign. 

The world celebrated World Environment Day on June 5. "One Earth" was the theme this year, revolving around a call for collective and transformative global action  to celebrate, protect and restore our planet.

Climate change and biodiversity degradation directly threaten the ability of children to survive, grow and thrive. Flooding and erosion frequently damage water and sanitation infrastructure and disrupt services, spreading waterborne diseases, including cholera and malaria, to which children are particularly vulnerable. 

Nearly 90 percent of climate-related diseases affect children under the age of five. High demographic growth is another factor that exacerbates the vulnerability of populations to climate change. In the DRC, the population of young people aged 0 to 24 years represents 67.4% of the Congolese population, of which 48.7% are children aged between 0 to 14.

UNICEF is committed to helping Congolese youth take action to protect their future and their planet by giving them a greater voice and encouraging them to participate in the fight against climate change and the preservation of their environment.