Ivory Park kids paint mural against lead

20 May 2016

 

The City of Johannesburg has unveiled a mural in Ivory Park in Region A to raise awareness of the dangers of lead.

 

The mural has been placed on the outside wall of Thuthukani Daycare Centre in Freedom Drive, Ivory Park’s busiest public transport and pedestrian artery.

The City’s Deputy Regional Director of Health, Nelly Shongwe, cut the ribbon to officially unveil the mural. According to Sharlene Moshidi of the City’s Environmental Health Department, the 10m-long mural is part of the Lead Awareness Programme aimed at helping the community to minimise the health risk posed by lead. Lead is a chemical added to paint to speed up the drying process and increase durability.

“Lead is one of the main health and environmental hazards associated with paint. It can cause nervous system damage, stunted growth, kidney damage and delayed development. It is dangerous to children because it tastes sweet, tempting them to put lead chips and toys and lead dust in their mouths,” says the department. The department states that lead paint is dangerous to adults and can cause reproductive problems in both men and women.

The City’s Environmental Health practitioners have written a script for a play performed by themselves at four daycare centres – Hope of Life and Anita Kindergarten in Ivory Park, and House of Glory and Needy Kids from Dieplsoot – to raise awareness about the health risk.

“Children are the most vulnerable compared to adults. They have less resistance to infections, poor diet and nutrition, chemical contaminants, pollution from traffic and air pollution in general,” the department says.

Adds Moshidi: “Thuthukani Daycare Centre has 100 children in its care. The centre’s management, volunteers and children were given lessons on lead and what its effects on people’s health and well-being were.

“The facility’s wall was painted with lead-free paint. The mural was painted by Environmental Health workers and Thuthukani Daycare Centre volunteers. The different pictures were drawn by different participants in the project, and everyone who took part signed a pledge to spread the message about the dangers of lead.

“The daycare centre children also wrote a script and acted in the drama on lead awareness. They also composed a song on lead,” Moshidi said.