This archive report was first published on 26 December 2019.
Young Man's Vision for a Clean Healthy Globe ¶
December 26, 2019
Mohammed Hussein, a 22-year-old journalism student at the Technical University of Mombasa, has made it his mission to create a clean and healthy environment for the youth and children in his community.
As a health champion recognized by the Muslim Media company in Mombasa, Mohammed has been mobilizing his family, friends, and neighbors to clean the streets and promote a healthy lifestyle.
Recently, over 70 people, mostly youth, came together to clear an illegal dumpsite in the midst of Mombasa Majengo residential area.
The area had turned into a dangerous zone where children risked contracting diseases such as cholera, wounds from cuts by broken glasses, and HIV and AIDS from pricks by infected needles.
"The crowded street of Majengo forced children to play at this site, but now it has turned into a potential health hazard, thus the need to clean it," Mohammed said.
Summaiya Omar, a volunteer in the clean-up team, confessed her love for clean surroundings free from cholera outbreaks.
"A clean environment is an individual's choice, which will inspire another person, thus qualifying to be a leader," she said.
Twaha Farouk, a youth from the Majengo neighborhood, said that when people come together for a worthy cause, it is worthwhile than lying idle in houses or streets, which brings the temptation of engaging in drug taking or crime.
"Coming together as a group has far-reaching implications better than individual effort," he said.
Majengo village elder Mustafa Salim Johari welcomed the youth's noble idea and encouraged such initiatives, saying they are good models and pose a challenge to other youth to engage in meaningful activities as opposed to idling.
Dr. Salma Naji, a medical officer and the secretary general of the Kenya Association of Muslim Medical Professionals coast region, attributed illegal dumping in residential areas as the major cause of diseases common with children.
"Contracting HIV and AIDS and Hepatitis B are some of the common health implications that befall unsuspecting children who play at dumpsites when they come into contact with infected needles," she said.
