The Asutifi North DLLAP held a learning meeting to discuss how a $300,000 support from the Latter-day Saint Charities is being used to extend access to WASH in the district.
During the meeting, Mr.Jeremiah Atengdem from IRC Ghana noted that the financial support from the Latter-day Saint Charities was earmarked explicitly for providing WASH services in hard-to-reach areas. Mr. Atendem elaborated that, “the grant's goal was to provide access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene services in five communities, five schools, and sixty households”. He added that boreholes were drilled in 3 schools, limited mechanized water systems were constructed in 2 schools, and 5 boreholes with concrete pads were provided in 5 communities. Under sanitation services, sex-separated, 6-seater institutional latrines with changing rooms were built in 5 schools, while household toilets were constructed for 60 vulnerable households across 6 communities. Under hygiene services, 13 handwashing stations were provided for 5 schools.
The communities thatbenefited from the WASH interventions were Bronyakrom, Antwikrom, Kokofu, Amayemangkrom, and Ensonyameye. The project beneficiary schools were Wamahinso Gyamfi Kumanini Basic School, Kenyasi Muoho District Assembly Basic school, Pobikrom JHS, Asamang Basic School, and Anglican Primary school. Mr. Atendgem noted that measures were put in place to ensure the sustainability of the installed WASH facilities. For example, Water and Sanitation Management Teams (WSMT’s) were formed and trained in all the beneficiary communities.
District CoordinatingDirector (DCD) for Asutifi North District Assembly, Mr. Samuel Badu-Baiden reiteratedthe district’s commitment to ensuring that the 2030 WASH full coverage goal for Asutifi North is attained. The DCD observed that the district and its partners had made considerable investments in the water sector and are currently taking steps to attract the investments needed to increase sanitation coverage to be at par with water access.
The Apesemakahene of Kenyasi1, Nana C.K. Yeboah charged the Assembly to show appreciation to the Latter-daySaint Charities for their kind gesture, which will positively reflect in the lives of the people in Asutifi North for years to come. Nana C.K. Yeboah charged the district authorities to ensure that future WSMT training involves all other stakeholders who have roles to play in sustaining the WASH facilities that have been provided.
Mr. Innocent Boadi ofWorld Vision ghana highlighted some of the challenges that project partnersfaced in extending WASH access. Some of these challenges include poor access roads, and the district's geology led to delays in the project implementation schedule. He estimated that about 3,294 people have directly benefited from the support provided by the Latter-day Saint Charities to the Asutifi North District.
