Beach Samaritans, the volunteer-driven initiative founded in October 2014 by Children And The Environment (CATE) and WakaAbout Media to clean public beaches across Nigeria is one.
A statement signed by Pelu Awofeso of WakaAbout Media and co-founder of the organisation said that to commemorate the first anniversary, there will be an exhibition of photographs taken from the public beaches cleaned so far at Freedom Park, Lagos.
“With the theme, ‘Beauty and the Beach’, the anniversary celebration will also feature awards to sponsors, outstanding volunteers, a bazaar and a commemorative beach clean-up on Saturday, December 12,” he said, explaining that the exhibition will take place from Thursday, December 10, to Monday, December 14.
In the past year, Beach Samaritans volunteers have cleaned six public beaches in Lagos (Okun Alfa, Tarkwa Bay, Ibeshe Beach, Ilashe Beach, Lekki Town Beach and Regal Seaview Beach), making them neater and healthier for the host communities as well as the leisure seekers who visit them.
It is ironic that with more than 800 kilometres of coastline, no beach in the country ranks among the Top 25 in Africa. According to a recent report by the CNN, a leading cause of ocean/beach pollution are non-biodegradable plastics, bottles and metals produced by manufacturers of consumer products. Nigeria is one of the worst hit countries worldwide, and Beach Samaritans say “the earlier we started to clear the trash, the sooner we will make them safer and healthier for the general public”.
Beach Samaritans is a member of Let’s do it World!, Cleanup the World and Ocean Conservancy, all environment-focused global organisations.