Street Cleaners

Every day I see teams of men and women dressed in green or neon reflective vests cleaning the streets and avenues of Luanda. They sweep, haul and push their carts while they literally put their lives in danger. They breathe in fumes and dust and seem to be losing a battle in a city that seems to spit out trash as fast as it is cleaned.

They forge ahead in streets littered by plastic bottles, bottles, plastic bags, paper, you name it. We are still waiting for the rains which I am told are torrential. This will only aggravate the problem in drains that are already choked by litter and leaves. Open drains stagnate with algae in a country where malaria is a huge public health problem.

Luanda, as I have written, has its charms, but trash control, without a doubt, would give this city a face lift and improve health conditions. While I see the green workers, I feel that there is still hope....