Miss Earth 2016 Takes On Galamsey

As soon as she won the Miss Earth Ghana 2016 crown last August, Ms Deborah Eyram Dodor hit the road with energy to sensitise people, mainly young folks, on various aspects of environmental protection.
 
She visited schools like Ola Girls Senior High School and Ho Bankoe EP Basic School, both in the Volta Region, where she led discussions on water and energy conservation, sanitation, reforestation, sanitation and the harmful impact of pollution. 

She, however, says the big issue she wants to throw up for serious national  discussion is the effects of illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey in Ghana. 

Her drive to put galamsey on the front burner for critical evaluation by all would, however, have to wait for a few weeks because she has to leave for Manila in the Philippines on Wednesday, October 5 to represent Ghana at the Miss World Earth competition slated for later this month.  

“Children of school going age are abandoning classrooms for full-scale illegal mining activities. Tens of thousands of people are engaged in galamsey which is seriously degrading our land and polluting our rivers and it is an issue we must seriously tackle,” Ms Dodor said. 

The Miss World Earth contest is an annual international environmentally-themed beauty pageant that promotes environmental awareness. 

Along with Miss World and Miss Universe, Miss World Earth is one of the three largest beauty pageants in the world in terms of number of national-level winners who  participate in the world finals.

Ms Dodor won the Miss Earth Ghana 2016 competition organised last August by First Royale Events at the Airport View Hotel in Accra.

Currently an accounting student at the All Nations University College in Koforidua, Ms Dodor has tried hard to introduce the students and pupils she has dealt with so far to the 5Rs of environmental protection:   “Rethink”, “Reduce”, “Reuse”, “Respect” and “Recycle.” She has urged them to ensure those words guide them in all their endeavours at all times. 

Ms Dodor also organised a group of market women to  clean-up the Abura Market in Cape Coast during this year’s   Oguaa Fetu Afahye and organised  a talk on sea pollution with fishermen at the Cape Coast Castle.

A former student of Ola Girls Senior High School in Ho, the beauty queen also plans to continue with a trash bin campaign initiated by the 2015 Miss Earth Ghana winner, Sylvia Naa Commodore.