West African country is supported by UNICEF, which is going to build 500 classrooms that can accommodate more than 25,000 children. This project meets several criteria: humanitarian aid, education and positive environmental impact.
Ivory Coast Classrooms
The country does not have enough classrooms for children. Classrooms either do not exist or are overcrowded, making learning a challenging and unpleasant experience.
UNICEF supports a breakthrough Ivory Coast factory that converts plastic waste into bricks. From these plastic bricks, 500 school classes will be built to provide education for more than 25,000 children. Classrooms will be completed in two years, i.e. in the first half of 2021.
Plastic Waste
The largest city, Abidjan, produces more than 280 tons of plastic waste every day. Only around 5% goes into the recycling process, the rest mostly ends up in landfills.
Waste management is responsible for 60% cases of malaria, diarrhea and pneumonia in children, diseases that are among the leading causes of Ivory Coast’s death.
The construction of recycled plastic brick classes is expected to provide less plastic waste and more jobs for local families.
Peerless Factory
Construction of the first factory of this kind was started in May this year in the capital Abidjan.
“This factory will be at the forefront of intelligent and scalable solutions to some of the major educational challenges facing African children and communities,” said UNICEF CEO Henrietta Fore.
The plant supported by UNICEF processes 9,600 tons of plastic waste per year.
Building school classes from recycled plastic bricks is 40% cheaper thanks to this material. Bricks are 20% lighter and more durable than conventional building materials and are waterproof. These bricks insulate well and are designed to withstand strong winds.
“Children who never thought there would be a place for them at school would be able to learn and thrive in a new and clean classroom.” said UNICEF representative Aboubacar Kampo
Source and credit: http://drumbeatnews.co.uk/world/unicef-converts-plastics-to-bricks-to-build-ivory-coast-schools/, UNICEF / Frank Dejo
