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Yvette Tetteh completes a historic 450km swimming journey across the Volta River
Ghanaian-British agribusiness entrepreneur, athlete, and activist Yvette Tetteh became the first person to swim across the Volta River from Buipe to Ada, completing the longest documented swim in Ghanaian history, covering 450 kilometres.
A colourful parade of drummers and dancers marched down the riverbanks to commemorate Yvette’s and the local communities’ extraordinary achievements.
Yvette, a 30-year-old athlete and environmental activist, embarked on this tough journey as part of an expedition organized by The Or Foundation.
Yvette, a 30-year-old athlete and environmental advocate, set out on this difficult journey as part of an expedition organized by The Or Foundation. The trip, accompanied by the research vessel “The Woman Who Does Not Fear,” sought to undertake a comprehensive study on microfiber pollution generated by textile waste and raise awareness about the impact of waste colonization on the region’s ecosystems.
Yvette’s remarkable feat was well embraced by the crowd that gathered in Ada to witness the completion of the journey.
While the expedition potentially marks the longest distance kayaked it also showcased the first-ever deployment of a solar-powered research vessel in Ghana and groundbreaking scientific research conducted on water quality in the Volta River System and Accra.
According to Yvette, the final leg presented a formidable upstream current caused by the Gulf of Guinea at the Ada estuary. However, her unwavering perseverance led her to triumph, reaching the resort where a joyous celebration awaited her.
The expedition began on March 7th, with the launch of a locally built aluminium research vessel. Yvette and her team, the Swim Team, navigated the Black Volta and Volta Lake, stopping in towns and villages to observe the effects of rising waters and connect with local communities. Despite choppy waters and slow progress, their determination and teamwork prevailed throughout the journey.
The chief, community leaders, and ecstatic spectators hailed Yvette as she emerged from the ocean in her custom-made recycled swimsuit. The festive mood allowed Yvette and her colleagues to show appreciation while also fielding questions from community members and local and international journalists. The backdrop of the solar-powered research vessel represented The Or Foundation’s dedication to preventing water pollution by measuring its breadth along Accra’s coast.
Yvette’s safety in the water was secured by a kayaker during the mission, while expedition documentarian Ofoe Amegavie and Science Lead/Communications Manager Edwin Dzobo, were both crucial in the kayak tasks.
The expedition builds upon The Or Foundation’s year and a half of scientific research into the environmental impact of secondhand clothing waste in Ghana, which receives a staggering 15 million items of used clothing every week.
By shedding light on the consequences of textile waste, the foundation aims to address the significant environmental and social repercussions faced by the country, including overflowing volumes of clothing waste that led to the explosion of the only engineered landfill in 2019.
The Agbetsi Living Water Swim expedition focused on investigating the impact of textile waste in Ghana. Through the collection of water and air samples, strict adherence to protocols, and engagement with local communities, valuable data has been gathered. This data will be analyzed and shared in the upcoming months to shed light on the situation.
Credit: 3News
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Swedru All Blacks back to winning ways, Roshan humble King Faisal
Sekondi Rospak FC made it eight wins in eight successive home games after three second-half goals from John Amoah, Joseph Ntow and Stephen Anthony Kofi. John Amoah opened the scoring in the 55th minute after a barren first half. Joseph Ntow added to the tally in the 56th minute before Stephen Anthony Kofi rounded things up in the 74th minute to give Rospak a 3-0 win over former Premier League side King Faisal.
Elsewhere at Swedru – leaders Swedru All Blacks humbled PAC Academy in an emphatic 2-0 win. Zayat Bubakari scored first for Swedru All Blacks in the 27th minute before Rudolf Junior Nana Kwasi Mensah made it 2-0 in the 34th minute. Swedru All Blacks are top of the table with 36 points – 4 points ahead of second placed Rospak FC.
Meanwhile, Former Premier League side Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs recorded their fourth successive home victory after beaten New Edubiase United 2-1 at the Robert Mensah Park. Enoch Odoom struck first for Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs in the 19th minute but Steven Asante equalized for New Edubiase United before halftime. After the interval, Godfred Eshun scored from distance in the 65th minute to help Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs secure all the points.
Here are the results in Zone Two
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Cervical Cancer alert: Avoid sex at early age
The Programmes Manager of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Mary Efua Commeh, has advised young girls to avoid sex at an early age.
This, she explained, will give the cervix the opportunity to mature before they become sexually active.
“You need to delay what we call the first sexual intercourse as much as possible to give the cervix the opportunity to mature before the person becomes sexually active,” she said.
Dr Commeh stated this in an interview with The Spectator in Accra on Tuesday as a part of the Cervical Cancer awareness month.
According to her, cervical cancer was the second leading female cancer in Ghana with a total of about 3,072 cases annually, and out of that, 1,815 deaths are recorded, representing more than 50 per cent.
She indicated that “If young girls are going to be sexually active, then you need to talk to your parents about being vaccinated.”
She explained that vaccinating young girls against human papillomavirus (HPV) has been found to be a very effective way of preventing cervical cancer.
“There are countries that started HPV vaccination years ago and they are not seeing any cervical cancers now because they would have eliminated most of the high-risk HPVs in their women. So if the high-risk HPV is not there, then obviously the results on cervical cancers are going to go down,” she added.
Dr Commmey said the HPV vaccination is recommended for young girls aged nine to 14 years, adding that it had been found to be highly effective, not just for cervical cancers but for other HPV-related cancers, such as anal cancers, cancers of the vagina, genital warts, amongst others.
She further elaborated that the idea is to put up a barrier before the HPV comes in and that once a young female encounters it, she is already protected.
She also mentioned that for cervical cancers, the main cause is called HPV infection, saying generally, all sexually active women acquire HPV at some point in their lives.
However, the Programmes Manager of NCDs at the GHS mentioned that the body has a way of clearing the HPV, explaining that it is a natural mechanism that goes on, unfortunately, there are a few women whose HPV persists.
Moreover, she noted that the numbers for Cervical Cancer tend to be much higher because at times, clients would wait, and try all sorts of medications before they finally report to the health facility saying “we actually lose some women before they get to the hospitals with over 75 per cent of the cases coming in its third and fourth stages.”
Dr Commey, therefore, called for public awareness while ensuring the availability of information for prevention and control.
By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu
