Same Place - Different Perspective

Cynthia Muhonja

Agbogbloshie, a small district in Ghana close to its capital Accra, is known as the world’s largest e-waste dump site. But it is not only a place where e-waste from all over the world is dumped. People live with and from the waste. It is a microeconomy that feeds a large informal sector. Melton Fellow Cynthia Muhonja together with her friends initiated the Agbogblo.Shine initiative. Unlike other social foundations and government agencies that have been working in this community the Agbogblo.Shine initiative combines both community engagement and innovation and is actively engaged in repurposing the waste in this community in order to create a circular economy where nothing is wasted. They draw their energy from the lives led by the people who dwell in this community. Together they hope to create a system that not only creates employment for the youths in this community but also mitigates the environmental pollution that occurs in this area.

“There are so many things that we have done at Agbogbloshie, however I chose the different perspective video as my #100Act because the video painted a different picture of the problem that we are trying to solve. The waste in this community is a result of activities of tech companies and their consumers around the globe. I believe it’s high time we highlight their externalities and how they affect the poor in our societies”. Watch the video here. Watch the video here.