Burning Kilimanjaro

BURNING KILIMANJARO | The so called “Kilimanjaro” is one of the burning areas in the scrap yard of Agbogbloshie. The area was renamed after the highest mountain in the continent and also, as a symbol of the difficulties that workers have to overcome every day. New generations of young men and women have migrated from the North of Ghana to Accra seeking for a better future. Lack of appropriate education, money deficiency, unfortunate circumstances or simply the urgency of an easy and quick income, led them to work in the Agbogbloshie junkyard. The field is also known for being one of the biggest electronic waste dumps in the world and many workers make a living from burning cables, wires and other appliances, in order to extract raw materials like copper, aluminum and iron. The daily earnings are very little as workers are paid in tips. Health and safety regulations herein healthcare are currently nonexistent; children and young men are constantly exposed to hazardous jobs and, most of all, toxic emissions. Indeed, As a result of a failing disposal system, there are no decrees to protect either the environment or workers from pollution and poisonous fumes.