Volunteers pick up trash on a beach in Mtwara, Tanzania.
Plastic is often seen as a convenience, but it’s also a global threat lurking beneath the waves. With an alarming 8 to 10 million metric tons of plastic entering our oceans each year, scientists predict that by 2050, plastic could outweigh all marine life. And plastic is only the beginning; glass, metal, and chemical waste are compounding the damage. This pollution doesn’t just scar the beauty of our planet’s beaches; it poisons marine ecosystems, endangers human health, and disrupts local economies that depend on clean coastlines.
Recognizing the urgency of this crisis, Global Peace Foundation (GPF) Tanzania joined hands with volunteers and local organizations for a large-scale beach cleanup near the Vocational Education and Training Authority (VETA) College in Mtwara. The initiative brought together an inspiring coalition: VETA students, Slim Smart Company, Millennium Jogging Club, UNA Climate and Ocean, and local volunteers, all united under a shared mission to clean and protect the coastal environment.
The cleanup’s goals were both practical and transformative. Organizers aimed to clear litter from the beach to protect marine life, engage the community in environmental conservation, educate participants on the devastating effects of pollution, and promote sustainable waste management practices. These objectives were not just about one day’s work; they were about sparking long-term change.
A GPF Tanzania representative explains the day of service to a crowd of volunteers.
Volunteers pick up trash on a beach in Mtwara, Tanzania.
Armed with gloves, trash bags, bins, and a lot of enthusiasm, volunteers divided into teams to tackle different beach sections. Their tasks ranged from collecting plastic bottles and food wrappers to sorting recyclables from hazardous waste like broken glass and rusted metal. GPF staff also led interactive educational sessions to drive home the importance of reducing waste and adopting sustainable habits in daily life.
At the end of the day, 20 bags of waste had been removed from the shoreline. But more importantly, the community had taken a step toward environmental stewardship. As GPF’s Benson Daudi put it, “By reducing waste, especially plastics, we prevent marine life from ingesting harmful materials. Beach cleanups like this don’t just help the environment, they also boost local economies and health, while pollution drives those benefits away.”
To ensure the momentum continued, GPF provided VETA College with dustbins and buckets to support ongoing waste management efforts. College Registrar Madam Fadhila Kusaga expressed deep gratitude: “This initiative not only cleans up the beach, but it also teaches students how to protect it.”
This beach cleanup marks just the beginning of what GPF Tanzania envisions as a sustained environmental movement. Regular cleanups, community education, and partnerships are all part of their strategy to build a culture of environmental responsibility. But what makes this work truly powerful is its connection to something bigger—peace and development.
Volunteers collect 20 bags of waste during a beach clean up day in Mtwara.
A clean environment is the foundation of sustainable development. When communities have access to clean water, fertile land, and unpolluted air, they are healthier, more productive, and better positioned to thrive. Environmental degradation, on the other hand, often leads to resource conflicts, displacement, and instability. That’s why GPF’s environmental initiatives are deeply aligned with its broader peacebuilding mission.
At its core, GPF believes in moral and innovative leadership to solve the world’s most pressing challenges. By fostering environmental awareness and action, GPF nurtures ecological balance and community harmony. Teaching youth to care for the earth instills values like responsibility, cooperation, and respect, values that build peaceful societies.
As climate change and pollution continue to threaten our shared future, efforts like this beach cleanup in Mtwara remind us that hope is found in action. In every bag of trash collected, in every student educated, lies a ripple of change. And when those ripples come together, they can shift the tide for our oceans, our communities, and our world.
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