Monthly sanitation campaign promotes hygiene, changes attitudes among marketers
Monrovia – The Liberia Chapter of Shincheonji Church of Jesus (SCJ) is promoting community hygiene and environmental cleanliness through a monthly volunteer sanitation campaign at the Duport Road Market.
The initiative, conducted on the first Saturday of every month, brings members of the church’s volunteer sanitation team to the market to clean selling areas and encourage marketers to adopt better hygiene practices.
For some vendors, the initiative is already changing attitudes toward sanitation.
“The cleaning up is well and I feel fine about it,” said Marthaline, a marketer, who expressed appreciation for the volunteers’ efforts. “I like the volunteer service that is changing our behaviour.”
Aaron Marwolo, a money exchanger operating in front of the SCJ building, also welcomed the initiative.
“The clean-up is positive because I came this morning and met my place swept,” he said.
The SCJ Volunteer Sanitation Team is part of an international volunteer initiative that focuses on humanitarian service, charity, community development, environmental stewardship, social outreach, healthcare support and blood donation drives.
In Liberia, the monthly sanitation campaign is specifically aimed at improving conditions at Duport Road Market while encouraging vendors to make cleanliness part of their daily routine.
Several marketers said they have begun participating more actively in keeping their surroundings clean.
“Before the people come to clean up, we can sweep the area where we are selling,” two market women said. “When they come, we can put the dirt in their black plastic bags and tell them thanks.”
Felicia M. Sackor, a vendor of assorted goods, said she had rarely seen organized groups undertake regular cleaning at the market.
“Since I have been in this market for one year plus, I have not seen anybody or any group cleaning up as you people do,” Sackor said.
During the exercise, members of the sanitation team, dressed in yellow T-shirts, were seen sweeping the market, collecting garbage in black plastic bags and transferring the waste into wheelbarrows for disposal.
The initiative appears to be gradually influencing vendors to maintain cleaner selling spaces throughout the week.
Mary Paul, a dried-fish vendor, said the lessons from the market are also being applied at home.
“The cleaning I can do to my selling place is done at home also,” Paul said, adding that the consistent clean-up has given the market a facelift and reduced the number of flies around vendors’ goods.
Promoting Unity Through Service
Pastor Roderick Wrehyou, one of SCJ’s pastors, praised the sanitation team for its resilience and unity, saying the initiative demonstrates the importance of collective service.
He said the exercise not only promotes community hygiene but also strengthens unity among members of the Christian community.
Members of the sanitation team also shared positive feedback from the latest exercise.
Cecelia Z. Nyonee said she encountered a man who praised the volunteers and expressed interest in attending the church’s school.
Massa Varfley said the team continues to receive encouraging reactions from marketers and passersby.
“I hear good news from the marketers and onlookers about the sanitation exercise. Let us keep doing it with love and commitment,” Varfley said.
Some members of the sanitation team are now calling for the exercise to be expanded from a monthly activity to a weekly initiative.
They said their continued participation is driven by a growing passion for volunteerism, as well as the sense of love, teamwork and unity fostered through the exercise.
The SCJ Liberia sanitation campaign continues to position community cleanliness not only as a public health responsibility but also as a shared civic duty requiring the participation of both residents and businesses.
