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PLASTIC WATER BOTTLE | NIGERIA

BLESSING EWA

Artefacts that have withstood wars and revolutions are now unable to survive the weather as climate change peels back the facade of ancient Buddhist artworks in China’s Gansu province.

When it rains, it floods. That’s the tragic reality in hundreds of villages across Nigeria, where plastic bottles clog up vital drains and cause devastating flooding. Even when it doesn’t rain that much.

Seeing her family’s possessions floating in the water and being forced to leave their submerged home lit a spark within Blessing. When she learned that discarded plastic bottles blocked drains and slowed the flow of water to a trickle, she decided that something had to be done.

Blessing first educated herself at university, and then shared knowledge with her village about the dangers of plastic pollution and how to dispose of waste properly or recycle it. Now it is her mission to educate as many communities across Nigeria as she can, about how to manage the issue and how addressing plastic pollution can be a source of income.

Object of Memory

Bottled water is ubiquitous in many parts of the world. Water can signify life but the plastic bottles that envelope it represents disaster for Blessing Awa from Nigeria. In her home village, plastic bottles clogged up the drains and caused her house to flood, displacing Blessing and her family. But now, as an adult, Blessing is taking action to improve the lives of people across Nigeria by reducing the plastic problem and providing an economic lifeline.