From Littering to Learning: Nigerian Lecturer Innovates Children's Eco Game to Tackle Africa's Challenges
From Littering to Learning: Nigerian Lecturer Innovates Children's Eco Game to Tackle Africa's Challenges
“The major emotional influence that I observed is that the pupils were happy seeing the environment clean. […] they discover that the environment is clean […] with the spirit of competition. So it was fun, and I think that the major emotional or psychological influence is the fact that they are able to ensure that the environment is clean, and they are also doing it in a very competitive manner with the team spirit, the team goal, and then with the aim that they will have certain recognition for being the overall best.”
Across African communities, a new kind of environmental action is taking shape, one that begins not with punishment, but with play. Ecoball turns litter collection into a team sport, teaching children to care for their surroundings through competition, cooperation, and creativity.
#GlobalSouthPole speaks with Dr. Oludele Mayowa Solaja, senior lecturer at Olabisi Onabanjo University, Nigeria, on how Ecoball works in practice, why joy is more powerful than fear in shaping habits, and how grassroots innovation can build a culture of sustainability from an early age.
The episode also explores how African solutions often grow quietly, rooted in local knowledge and everyday spaces, and how projects like Ecoball could travel across schools and communities as living models for change.
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