COMMUNITY SENSITIZATION TOWARDS GLOBAL HANDWASHING
As part of collaborative activities in the Asutifi North District leading to the commemoration of Global Handwashing Day, a combined team of personnel from the district Education and Health Directorates, ANAM WASH Desk, IRC Ghana, SUDEF Ghana, and GADeF international embarked on a three-day community sensitization campaign from the 10th to 13th October 2021.
The sensitization campaign was to promote the culture of good Handwashing practices, particularly with soap under running water, among school children in selected schools and some communities. The sensitization campaign team visited schools in Goamu Koforidua, Asamang, Yawbrefo, and Kramokrom. The team did not only engage with pupils of the schools in these communities but also had interactions with community members in all the communities visited. The sensitization team used the opportunity to educate and demonstrate to the school children the steps to wash their hands properly. The team also used the opportunity to teach community members how to construct a simply Tippy Tap at home or in their farms to promote the culture of regular handwashing under running water.
SESAME WASH-UP QUIZ COMPETITION
On Thursday, October 14, 2021, World Vision International in collaboration with Phanuel Global Health Foundation, Asutifi North District Assembly, Ghana Education Service, and IRC Ghana organized a WASH Quiz Competition amongst five selected schools in the district.
The schools were T.I Ahmadiya school, District Assembly (DA) Girls School, Ntotroso DistrictAssembly school and Kenyasi 1 and Kenyasi 2 Methodist schools. The quiz had five rounds of questioning centered on WASH in schools. The fifth and final round of the competition required a contestant from each school to demonstrate the steps in proper handwashing with soap under running water at the same time narrating the steps to the quiz audience and judges.
At the end of the fifth round of the quiz, District Assembly (DA) Girls School emerge the winners of the competition. All schools were awarded prices consisting of stationery materials, while the winning school took home the winner’s trophy.
The District Director of Education congratulated all the participating schools for their marvelous performance and admonished the students and teachers to continue to observe and take seriously their personal hygiene. She also used the opportunity to officially announce the launch of a WASH League Table for schools in the district where GES in collaboration with the ANAM WASH partners and the District Assembly will be visiting schools regularly to evaluate the state of WASH in each school and award marks accordingly. She added that this was meant to encourage schools to take issues of water, sanitation and hygiene seriously since best-performing schools will be rewarded.
GLOBAL HANDWASHING DAY CELEBRATION
On the 15th of October 2021, the Asutifi North District, ANAM WASH partners, and Civil Society Organization commemorated Global Handwashing Day at GoamuKoforidua under the theme, “Our future is at hand – Let’s move forward together”.
Global Hand Washing Day is a global advocacy day dedicated to increasing awareness about the importance of hand hygiene and triggering lasting change from the policy-level to community-driven action.
The event had in attendance the Chiefs and Elders of the Goamu Koforidua community, officials of the Asutifi North District Assembly, Assembly Members, district representatives from the Ghana Education Service, representatives from the District Health Directorate, ANAM Wash partners including World Vision International and IRC Ghana, Civil Society Organizations including GADeF International and SUDEF Ghana, teachers and pupils from the Koforidua and Asamang Basic Schools, and members of the Goamu Koforidua community.
Representatives of the District Assembly, ANAM WASH partners and CSOs, and the Ghana EducationService addressed the event on efforts that have been ongoing in the district to promote good hygiene practices including proper handwashing. participants were treated to a beautiful cultural display by students from the Koforidua Basicschool and an inspirational poem on handwashing by a pupil of the school.
SUDEFGhana donated five (5) Veronica Buckets and ten (10) Tippy Taps to the schools and the community to promote proper handwashing and good personal hygiene. A demonstration was made by an officer of the District Health Directorate on steps to wash hands with soap and water.
The chief of Goamu Koforidua expressed appreciation on behalf of the community and the schools for the donations and advocated for everyone to adopt good handwashing practices to promote a healthy community.
