1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Onuora Francis Onwuekwe. I have worked for ten years with Sahara Group. I work with the Quality, Health, Safety, Security, Environment (QHSSE) Team in Asharami Synergy PLC.
2. What’s your motivation for volunteering?
Our everyday lives either at work or informal settings is fraught with a number of hazards which may have many consequences for both the worker as an individual, his/her family and the business as an entity. Ensuring that these risks do not crystalize is what naturally drives me.
3. Describe your volunteering experience in April at the Fair Plastic Alliance?
When I got information about the partnership with Fair Plastic Alliance for an outreach to the communities of dumpsite workers in Abuja, I was certain it was going to be a worthwhile experience and time well spent with this community of workers whose role is of critical importance in solid waste management, environmental conservation and in sync with the SDGs.
It afforded me the opportunity to not only interact with them, but more importantly, share knowledge on the safety and health issues around their occupation in a language they can easily understood.
4. What contribution or achievement are you most proud?
I am quite delighted to have contributed to saving a number of persons from the possible risks of the job they do both in the immediate and in the long run due to prolonged exposures.
5. What other organizations or causes do you support or volunteer for?
From my youth service days, I began volunteering in traffic controls within my environment and more recently as a first aider with Nigeria Red Cross Society.
6. Do you know about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? If yes, what do you think of them?
SDGs represents a number of agreed action areas by UN member nations, which are aimed at bringing an end to critical issues bedevilling humanity. There are 17 of them such as No Poverty, Good Health & Wellbeing, Affordable & Clean Energy, Climate Action and a host of others.
7. What message would you like to share with others about volunteering?
Volunteering is a charitable act and is in line with the tenets of most religions as practiced by humanity. Giving your time, knowledge, resources etc without expecting a reward is quite noble & self fulfilling. It is one’s little way of helping to make the world a better place for all.
