The West Africa Centre for Peace Foundation (WACPF), an NGO, mobilised the youth and children of Lartebiokorshie, a suburb of Accra, on Saturday for a clean-up exercise and health talk on Saturday.

Armed with brooms and shovels, and with a refuse truck, the children went round clearing filth and desilting gutters under the supervision of their superiors, after which they were educated on some health and sanitation issues.

WACPF is a chapter of PeaceJam Foundation USA and an affiliate of the Rotary club. It educates and inspires young people on human rights, conflict resolution and peace building.

The event was sponsored by the Rotary clubs of Cleveland and Akron Ohio in the US and was organised as part of the “one billion acts of peace” campaign – an international movement led by 13 Nobel Peace laureates.

Alhaji Gambo Iddriss Wangabi, Assemblyman for the area, said the children’s action had inspired adults in the community, to rekindle their interests in clean-up exercises.

He expressed optimism that the event would not be a nine-day wonder but that all would join hands to make the community clean and worthy of human habitation.