By GARBA MUHAMMAD

The EduMedia Climate Reform on Health Initiative (e-MICH) has joined communities and environmental stakeholders in Kaduna State to mark the 2026 World Cleanup Day, with a call for sustained community action towards cleaner and healthier surroundings.

The exercise, held on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at Sabon Tasha, Kaduna, was organised under the theme, “A Cleaner Environment, A Healthier Tomorrow.” It brought together community members, volunteers, civil society organisations and other stakeholders, including the Nigeria Red Cross, Kaduna State Coalition on Climate Change, Centre for Water and Environment and Eco-Health Limited.

Participants commenced the programme with light physical exercises and mobilisation before engaging in waste picking and environmental cleanup within the community. The collected waste was subsequently sorted into categories including plastic, pure-water waste and general waste for appropriate handling, recycling or disposal.

The Initiative also featured public sensitisation, during which eMICH volunteers and other participants educated residents on the importance of environmental cleanliness, proper waste disposal and the health risks associated with unmanaged waste and polluted surroundings.

Speaking through the activities, the organisers stressed that maintaining a clean environment is a shared responsibility involving individuals, households, communities and institutions.

They urged residents to avoid indiscriminate dumping of refuse, embrace proper waste sorting and disposal, and support regular environmental sanitation, noting that environmental health requires sustained action beyond one-day cleanup campaigns.

The exercise also provided an opportunity for eMICH to strengthen collaboration with community members, volunteers and partner organisations working to promote environmental health.

According to the report, the activity increased the visibility of eMICH’s environmental health and community engagement efforts, while participants gained practical experience in waste picking and sorting. Members of the public were also reached with messages linking environmental cleanliness to disease prevention and community wellbeing.

The organisation said the exercise demonstrated that practical community activities can make environmental health messages easier for residents to understand and act upon.

It further emphasised the importance of sustained community engagement and partnerships among community groups, volunteers and organisations in translating environmental awareness into lasting waste-management practices.

eMICH reaffirmed its commitment to promoting community-led environmental health actions and public awareness aimed at building healthier, safer and more resilient communities.I can also make it more punchy and newspaper-like, with a stronger headline, intro and quotes, while retaining the facts in the report.