Three Rotary Clubs support 25 communities to end open defecation

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Three Rotary Clubs support 25 communities to end open defecation
Three Rotary Clubs support 25 communities to end open defecation

Africa-Press – Ghana. A total of 25 communities in Ashanti and Central regions lacking decent toilet facilities and clean water are set to benefit from a $160,000 project being spearheaded by three Rotary Clubs.

The project dubbed, “Clean Water and Sanitation Ghana” would seek to end open defecation in the beneficiary communities located in six districts across the two regions. The beneficiary districts would include Amansie Central, Adansi South, Akrofuom, Adansi North, Agona East and Obuasi Municipal,

A total of 160 household toilets, 30 mechanised boreholes, and 10 school toilet facilities are expected to be constructed within one year under the project being executed by the Rotary Club of Obuasi in partnership with Rotary Club of Cape Coast Central and Rotary E-Club Premier 7040, Montreal, Canada.

These came to light at a brief ceremony to cut a sod for the construction of a mechanized borehole and household microflush for the people of Donkoase, a farming community in the Amansie Central District.

According to a World Bank report, 17.78 per cent of Ghana’s population in 2020 had no access to decent toilets and engaged in open defecation. As at 2015, only one rural household out of 10 were using improved household toilets while three in every ten of them practiced open defecation.

Also, it has been reported that there was limited private sector interest in rural basic sanitation due to a perception that that investments in rural sanitation businesses were not profitable.

It was against this background that the three Rotary Clubs sought to provide improved sanitation technologies such as the household microflush toilets which were affordable, hygienic, devoid of flies and environmentally friendly, with funding from The Rotary Foundation through Rotarians in Canada, USA, India and Ghana.

Mr Sarwan Kumar, the Outgoing President of Obuasi Rotary Club told the media after the sod cutting, that the Club after undertaking needs assessment exercises, realised that most communities in Ghana lacked access to clean water and decent toilet facilities.

“Having been privy to the challenges communities in Obuasi and its surrounding areas face regarding access to clean water and place of convenience, we at Rotary Club of Obuasi and partners decided to put our resources together to assist them,” he said.

He said, “we believe that this will go a long way to improve sanitation and prevent water related diseases in beneficiary communities.” He said members of Rotary Club of Obuasi were committed to helping the less privileged in the society to improve their living standards.

The President-Elect of Rotary Club of Obuasi, Elizabeth Hamenoo also emphasized that as a humanitarian group they had always supported impoverished communities to have access to basic social amenities.

She appealed to users of the facilities to protect and maintain them when completed so that they could stand the test of time. Nana Kojo Ntosuo III, the Chief of Donkoase lauded Rotary Club of Obuasi and its partners for coming to their aid.

He said access to potable water and decent toilets facilities had been a major challenge for the community and pledged to offer his support throughout the construction phase.

Mr Richard Osei, the Assembly member for the area disclosed that Donkoase had a population of about 1,200 people and recounted the ordeal they had to go through to access clean water and decent toilets. He praised the Rotary Club of Obuasi and partners for the gesture and urged them extend the project to other communities facing similar challenges.

Rotary is an international organization formed in 1905 to bring together business and professional leaders to contribute to provide humanitarian services and to advance goodwill and peace around the world.

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