Residents of Agyanwiam and Sokolo in the Tain District, and Canada and Aprakukrom in the Sunyani West Municipality of the Bono Region, are now benefiting from improved access to safe drinking water following the installation of mechanised boreholes in the communities.
The intervention is expected to
significantly enhance the supply of potable water, improve hygiene practices,
and help prevent outbreaks of waterborne and skin-related diseases that have
long affected residents.
For many years, the communities
depended largely on streams and other unsafe water sources for their domestic
needs. This exposed residents, particularly women and children, to waterborne
infections and skin-related Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), while forcing
them to travel long distances in search of water.
The provision of the mechanised
boreholes is therefore expected to ease the burden of water scarcity and
promote healthier living conditions in the beneficiary communities. The
project, which involved an investment of GH¢140,000, was funded by the Anesvad Foundation and implemented by the Global Media Foundation (GLOMEF) in partnership with Tim Africa Aid Ghana.
It forms part of the Community Integration and Systems
Strengthening Project, which adopts a holistic approach to addressing
the burden of skin-related NTDs by combining water infrastructure delivery with
hygiene education and community-led management systems.
Commissioning the facility at
Sokolo, the Project Coordinator of
GLOMEF Ghana, Mr Emmanuel Jessi Jackson Sarkodie, said the initiative
was designed not only to improve access to safe water but also to strengthen
community capacity to sustain the facilities.
He explained that community water
management committees had been established and trained to oversee the
maintenance of the boreholes and ensure their proper use. Mr Sarkodie added
that the project also includes community-based health education to equip
residents with knowledge on hygiene, sanitation and disease prevention.
According to him, improved access to
safe water would protect children from preventable diseases while reducing the
burden on women who previously spent long hours searching for water.
The Executive Director of Tim Africa Aid Ghana, Mr Isaac Kwabena, commended stakeholders, including the Tain and Sunyani West District Health Directorates and local authorities, for their collaboration in supporting the initiative to improve health outcomes in the beneficiary communities.
The Odikro of Sokolo, Nana Gabriel Manu, described the project as
life-changing, saying it would help reduce disease prevalence in the community
while improving the wellbeing of residents.
He expressed gratitude to the
implementing organisations and their partners for responding to the
long-standing water challenges facing the communities.
Beyond improving access to safe
drinking water, the project is expected to promote better sanitation practices
and help reduce the spread of skin-related NTDs, which remain a major public
health challenge in many underserved communities.
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